Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale
by SuperGreG
Summary: Seventy one years after the Oblivion Crisis and nearly thirty years since the events of the Infernal City. For the first time in a decade, at the urging of Emperor Attrebus, Daggerfall hosts a summit to negotiate trade interests in the western provinces. The spirit of cooperation is not always the greatest motivation of the powers of Iliac Bay. Both blood and wine may spill.
1. Chapter 1

Foreword:

Seventy one years after the Oblivion Crisis and nearly thirty years since the events of the Infernal City. For the first time in a decade, at the urging of Emperor Attrebus, Daggerfall hosts a summit to negotiate trade interests in the western provinces. The spirit of cooperation is not always the greatest motivation of the powers of Iliac Bay. Both blood and wine may spill.

Authors note: With some artistic license, all reasonable effort made to maintain _general_ parity with _existing_ canon established in Oblivion, The Infernal City/Lord of Souls, and Skyrim. That is, where absence of detail leads me to be plausibly creative, I try to at least avoid 'contradicting' _known lore_.

Rated M for mild adult content.

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Although it should go without needing to be stated, let it be said: Bethesda owns The Elder Scrolls and all related materials. I am merely contributing my own interpretations in a public forum and no profit is derived or intended from my work.

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Additional note: This story follows on rather loosely from my previous tales. Even so, some effort has been made to allow this story to function as fully stand-alone.

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Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 1

Middas the 30th of Sun's Dusk 4E71 Morning

Edwyn Northwind fussed with the documents he was sorting, before again putting them back into his satchel. He really had no need to doubt that he already had everything that he thought he needed to take with him. Even so, he still felt the want to properly check through it all again.

Closing up the satchel again, he brushed a lock of light brown hair behind his subtly pointed ear, then looked about the bedroom with a somewhat vacant stare. He felt almost certain that he was forgetting something, but he couldn't quite place precisely what it might be.

"Edwyn, haven't you finished packing yet?"

He turned toward the doorway, observing his wife standing there with an expression of annoyance upon her face. He knew that he needed to be down at the Portside District of Wayrest in about three hours. Even so, he thought that he still had plenty of time to make sure that he was fully prepared before setting off.

Francine released a huffy sigh as she headed for the open trunk.

"I was just about to finish with that." Maintaining a conciliatory tone, Edwyn tried not to further provoke his wife's ire.

His Breton wife huffed again as she examined the content of the trunk. After a few moments of checking through what was packed, she also took note of what he was currently wearing. "Surely, you're not wearing that to the Daggerfall Court?"

Edwyn raised his eyebrows. "This is what I always wear on the job." He was wearing his usual outfit. Though far from shabby, it was not notably expensive in appearance. His attire tended to declare that though his station was far from poverty, he was not of nobility, nor of those pursuing aspirations of that kind.

Francine strutted over toward the appropriate wardrobe to look inside. "You should be wearing your blue coat, at least within the Daggerfall Court." She withdrew the expensive looking long blue coat with the golden yellow trimming and ornate metal buttons, holding it out at arm's length.

Edwyn stepped nearer to his wife to accept the coat.

Shaking her head, Francine huffed again. "You need to take the trousers that go with your blue coat… and the right shirts… and the velvet-lined shoes."

Edwyn remained silent. He knew better than to offer any protest or argument.

Francine continued to select the items that she was talking about, making a point to also remove specific items from the trunk that she didn't want him taking along at all. "If you're supposed to be representing Queen Carolyna's position during this trade thing, then you should look the proper part."

Taking a slightly different tack, Edwyn tried to maintain a conciliatory tone. "During recent times, there's been far less hostility… or tension… between Wayrest and Daggerfall. Not like it was back when Queen Elysana was dealing with King Gothryd. I'm quite sure that things will remain perfectly civil."

Francine released a short sharp sigh. "Maybe. I suppose… I suppose that it did improve with Daggerfall, after Camaron took over from Gothryd."

"Things improved even further once Queen Carolyna took her mother's place. Neither of those two have ever needed to hold greatly differing positions during any conflict."

"Not yet." There was a tone of warning in her voice. "The Queen will want things to stay that way… and there's no way to know if Prince Gothryd will feel the same… once he becomes King Gothryd II. Daggerfall has always looked to the prosperity of Wayrest with… with contempt… of some sort. It's never been enough to just be the ruling city of the Province... in the eyes of the Empire."

"I hardly think that anything that I might… that I might, er…" Edwyn was interrupted by the muffled sound of someone knocking at the front door of their North Riverside home. He looked toward the doorway leading from their bedroom.

"Ignore that. I'll go see what it's about." Heading for the open doorway out of the upstairs room, Francine pointed back toward the trunk. "You need to finish that… and don't you go putting those ratty grey shirts back into the trunk. Take those other ones I laid out."

With a quiet sigh, Edwyn returned to the task. His thoughts drifted a little as he started folding those items Francine had selected and returning the others to the wardrobe and cupboards.

He started casually thinking about how far he'd come since he'd first started working at his parents' trade operation with his older sisters, over in the Eastmarket District of Wayrest. Of course, it was really more about how far his fortunes had shifted, than how far he'd travelled.

He had travelled just a little, but only as far as his work required. Wayrest had always been home. When he was still very young, the Northwind family all lived above the shop. He only barely remembered something of that time. A little later during his childhood, the family moved over to the house in the Riverside District. Though it seemed far too large for her on her own, his mother still live there.

It was only after he'd married Francine that Edwyn moved to the North Riverside home where they still lived. Much like his mother's house, that place had also come to seem a great deal larger and quieter since Nikulas and Guilbert had moved out. Even so, they still saw their sons fairly often, along with their young grandchildren.

Unlike his parents or siblings, Edwyn had lived all his life in Wayrest, having been born there sixty-one years before. It was fair to note that both Monika and Erika also passed most of their formative years in Wayrest. Still, both his sisters had been born before their parents finally came to Wayrest.

Since she was only about two when they shifted from Solitude to Wayrest, Erika held no real memory of anything before they'd come to the 'Jewel of the Bay'. Since marrying Roberto and starting her own family, she'd always seemed perfectly content to continue running Northwind Traders.

By notable contrast, Monika remembered moving about quite a bit when she was very young. She'd been far too young to recall anything of the Imperial City, but she did remember something of that trading port on Solstheim, as well as the Nord's capital city in Skyrim. She would have been nearly nine by the time that they finally settled in Wayrest.

He supposed that to be just part of why she'd travelled so far and eventually settled in the Imperial Province. He also acknowledged that her poor choice of first husband certainly played some notable part in her leaving Wayrest behind. By Edwyn's reckoning, Monika's second husband seemed a far better man. Though he'd read some of the letters his mother had received, it had been some time since he'd seen either of them.

Catching his reflection in the mirror, Edwyn recalled that his father seemed much older by the time that he'd reached his sixties, but then his father had been Nord. His mother's Altmer blood meant that Edwyn appeared perhaps no older than a Breton in his mid-to-late forties. He imagined that he'd quite likely live to an age of far more years than his father had. Francine was nearly ten years his junior, but they now both looked near to the same age. He truly hoped that she would live near as long, but he knew well enough that the length of Breton lives varied quite a bit. It could easily go either way.

Shifting his thoughts from such things, Edwyn's mind returned to the matters of his work and what lay ahead. By now, he'd been with Wayrest's Guild's Board of Associates for more than twenty years. He'd started off in a relatively junior position, before quickly rising to fully represent the Eastmarket Traders on the Board. After many years, he'd finally risen to the position of Chief of the Wayrest Merchants Guild. That meant that he oversaw interests of the merchants of Eastmarket, Westmarket, Cumberland Square and the rest of the city. Given his relatively humble background, that was a notable achievement.

Unlike many of those who had held that position before him, he wasn't from one of the noble families of Wayrest. He wasn't even distantly related to the Gardners, Cumberlands, Horleys or even the Gaeringtons. Nor was his wife, not directly anyway. Edwyn had earned the position through hard work, upon merit alone. The same could not be so firmly claimed by many others of similar standing, whether with the Merchants Guild or any of the other related specialty guilds. It was certainly common knowledge that nobody in any position of influence within the Bankers Guild of Wayrest arrived there without being born into nobility or marrying into it.

It had been ten years since the last time there'd been a trade summit like that in the western provinces of Tamriel. The previous time, it had been hosted in the ruling city of Hammerfell. It had been Edwyn's predecessor who represented the Wayrest Merchants Guild when it had been held in Sentinel.

Edwyn didn't view the task ahead as any opportunity to elevate his own status. For him, it was just part of his job to represent Wayrest's trade interests, as well as those of the Queen, and to see to it that the task provided for favourable outcomes.

Of course, it was actually Emperor Attrebus who had called for the trade summit in Daggerfall. The continuing flow of valued goods into the Imperial Province of Cyrodiil was only part of the reason for the summit. Naturally, the Emperor's interests were motivated toward seeing strengthened trade ties between the remaining provinces of the Empire.

Strong trade served to breed peaceful relations between the outer provinces, and in turn, that also served to bind the fabric of the Empire more firmly. Undoubtedly, Edwyn would only be dealing with the Emperor's Trade Ministers and other representatives. Nonetheless, several of them likely held the Emperor's ear, if not in political matters, then at least in matters directly relating to their respective responsibilities.

In any case, none of that was really any of Edwyn's primary concern. He just needed to look to properly serving the trade interests of Wayrest Merchants Guild and the rest would see to itself. Anything of a purely political nature was well outside of his proper purview.

Francine suddenly appeared in the doorway again, drawing his attention. She looked annoyed. Edwyn was just standing there with a folded shirt in his hands and a vacant look upon face. Lost in daydream, he still hadn't finished packing his things.

"There's an Orc down at the front door."

"An Orc?" Edwyn returned a dumbfounded expression.

"She says she's contracted to serve as your bodyguard."

Edwyn frowned. "Bodyguard?"

"That's what I said." Francine sighed with annoyance. "You better go see her. I'll finish this." She pushed him aside to see to finishing with packing his things.

"I'd said… I said that I didn't need a bodyguard in Daggerfall. I'll be in the Royal grounds most of the time that I'm there."

"The Orc is waiting down by the front door." Francine pointed to the doorway with agitated wave of her hand, urging him to leave and go attend to the door.

Edwyn remained silent and hurriedly headed off. Descending the stairs, he made his way directly for the front door. Francine had left it wide open. The female Orc stood just outside, looking very much like an armoured guard watching over the entrance of the house. She seemed of relatively slender frame, but still notably muscular. She wore her dark hair cropped short on top, with several beaded braids down either side of her pointed ears. At a glance, she looked to be in her late twenties or perhaps early thirties. It was hard to tell with Orcs. Some aged quite rapidly and others more slowly. Many sought out lives that ensured that old age would never be a concern.

Removing her hand from the hilt of a dagger upon her hip, the Orc affected a forced grin that didn't quite reach her dark eyes. Her expression made her lower canines protrude from her lips in a somewhat menacing fashion. "Edwyn Northwind?"

"Well, yes."

"Yurma gra-Sharma. Fighters Guild. I'm to be your bodyguard." The Orc spoke much like a soldier reporting to a superior for duty.

Edwyn shook his head slightly. "I didn't call for any…"

"Guildhead Wickfield sent me."

Of course, Edwyn knew Madena Wickfield, the somewhat older Breton woman still in charge of Wayrest's Fighters Guild. She'd been the local Guildhead for more than three decades. He shook his head again. "I'd told my people that I wouldn't be needing a bodyguard in Daggerfall."

The Orc appeared unmoved by his response. "I'm told the Merchants Guild made the contract. Guildhead Wickfield would've sent Garish gro-Yargol, but he's not come back. As a personal favour, she sent me in his place."

"Personal favour?"

"My father is Uzgark gro-Baroth of Ripwold. My uncle asked her to send an Orc."

Edwyn realised exactly who she was referring to. Karl gro-Baroth had been the Guild Master of Chorrol's Fighters Guild up until he'd retired to go live with his brother's family in Ripwold. Some decades back, he'd served alongside Edwyn's older sister Monika, when she was still with the Fighters Guild in the Imperial Province. Evidently, the old Orc viewed it some sort of matter of honour to see to it that Northwinds received special attention, even though Edwyn certainly thought it unnecessary.

Edwyn wearily shook his head, accepting that he clearly wasn't going to have any say in the matter. "Very well. You'd best come in, then."

Yurma tilted her head in a questioning fashion. "I was told that you had to be down at the Portside District well before noon, to board the vessel." She tried to look up to see the position of the sun, but the roof of the house was in the way.

Edywn nodded. "That's right. On the Glenumbra Heron. Plenty of time… I think."

The Orc reflected his nod and stepped inside the doorway and then off to one side as Edwyn closed the door.

Yurma didn't appear comfortable with proceeding any further inside. "I should wait right here, until you're ready to go.

Edwyn opened to his mouth to suggest differently then changed his mind, deciding that there was no point in trying to persuade her to go take a seat. "Very well. I need to go finish packing before we can be on our way."

The Orc merely returned a nod of understanding, showing no sign of intent to shift from where she was standing.

Edwyn frowned. "Do you have er… bags… or a travelling pack?"

Yurma shrugged awkwardly. "I have everything I need." Without moving from her position, she turned slightly to one side.

Edwyn observed what she was indicating. He noticed a small pack tucked beneath the heavy shield on her back. He imagined that it could've held nothing more than perhaps a coin-purse and some very basic supplies.

Wasting no further time, Edwyn left the Orc to stand vigil in the entryway as he headed back upstairs to Francine, to see to finishing his final preparations to depart.

~O~


	2. Chapter 2

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 2

Middas the 30th of Sun's Dusk 4E71 Late Morning

Before leaving his North Riverside home, Edwyn Northwind had kissed his wife and harried but fond farewells were exchanged. He expected that he could easily be gone for a good week, but he also knew that it could just as easily turn out to be slightly less or notably more, dependant upon how things passed at the trade summit in Daggerfall.

A curious neighbour watched from an upstairs window across the street as Edwyn departed from the front door of his home. Of course, it wasn't really Edwyn drawing the nosy attention. It really had more to do the armoured Orc following along behind him with a heavy trunk hoisted up on her shoulder. Edwyn kept his document satchel on his person, but easily surrendered to Yurma gra-Sharma's firm suggestion that she should carry his travelling trunk.

Though there were quite a few 'city-Orcs' living in some parts of Wayrest, they weren't so commonly seen wandering the streets of North Riverside. It would be fair to assume that few Orcs would ever accumulate enough wealth to live in either of the riverside districts. It would also be fair to assume that few would even want to.

With Yurma following behind Edwyn, a few more curious glances were passed in their direction as they continued southward along the streets into the Riverside District. Soon enough, they'd also passed through that neighbouring residential district onto the eastern end of East Boulevard, not so far from the home where Edwyn had grown up. His Altmer mother still lived in that place. He'd seen her just two days before and told her something of what he expected to be doing in Daggerfall over the coming week or so.

The one thing he hadn't really anticipated, was that he'd be shadowed by an Orc bodyguard, sent by the Fighters Guild to watch over him. Though Yurma was still the only Orc visible on that street at that particular moment, by the time that they were down on East Boulevard, her presence seemed rather less conspicuous.

Except when it seemed necessary to address her contracted task, Yurma hadn't seemed particularly talkative. Thus far, her only concern appeared to be ensuring that Edwyn got down to Portside and on that vessel before it sailed. Edwyn's concerns were precisely the same, so he didn't find any reason to make things unnecessarily difficult. He'd reluctantly accepted that she was going to be his bodyguard, whether he liked it or not. Added to that, without her, he would've had a great deal more trouble struggling with that travelling trunk.

Soon enough, they were headed down Rivergate Street through the eastern corner of the Eastmarket District. Next to the Kingfisher Tavern, just outside the Eastcorner Smiths, a rugged looking male Orc toiled over an open forge. He cast a mildly curious glance in Yurma's direction, but it didn't seem that either of them actually knew one another.

Following the left-hand bend in the street, they were soon passing through the gates in the tall stone walls of the city. Edwyn exchanged a casual nod with the Wayrest City Guard leaning upon the wall at the open gates. The guard didn't appear to recognise him at all, but didn't seem to think there was any reason to interfere with his passage. The guard shifted only momentarily as he'd noticed the armoured Orc with the trunk over her shoulder. Since he relaxed immediately, he must have either recognised her as the female Orc from the Fighters Guild, or merely recognised that she was working for the 'Breton' that she was following.

It was just a short walk from the gates to the docks of the Portside District and it was downhill all the way. Of course, Edwyn wasn't carrying anything heavy. Yurma merely behaved as though her heavy burden was nothing of consequence.

Just as they'd made it past the warehouses down to the piers of Portside, a shadow passed over the docks and the waters of the harbour. With a frown, Edwyn turned about and looked up to observe the large fluffy cloud mass passing between the sun and the land below.

Though he'd been mildly concerned that the weather might be about to unexpectedly change for the worse, that wasn't really the case. It was just a bit of relatively high cloud drifting lazily overhead. There was no real indication in the sky of anything like what had brought those showers of Sundas and Morndas, earlier in the week.

Looking further off toward the north and west, he could see that there was still a light mist hovering above the Wrothgarian Mountains. The snow that had fallen over those mountains a few days before was still visible upon the peaks. Though there had been some notable snowfall to the north, it had diminished to nothing more than light rainfall by the time it made it to Wayrest.

The ship that they were looking for was there by the docks, but it seemed perhaps a little unusual that there were no really large vessels at port that particular day. Two sets of sails could be seen out on the horizon headed southward. They were too far off to tell what kinds of vessels they represented.

Only a couple of relatively smaller fishing vessels were docked at Portside. It seemed that some of those fishing boats had been out on the bay earlier, judging from the screeching gulls plaguing the fishermen on the decks. Looking off to the left, another small sailboat could be seen coming down the Bjoulsae River toward the port. It looked like another fishing boat.

The Glenumbra Heron was the largest ship in view, but it wasn't all that big. It was one of those slightly smaller cargo vessels that mostly sailed up and down the bay, servicing local trade and accommodating only a small number of passengers. Though Edwyn understood that the Heron frequently docked at Wayrest, he thought that it was actually from either Daggerfall or Camlorn. He wasn't really sure about that.

The trade vessel did bear clear marking with its name across the aft. There was also an image of a bird painted below that. In Edwyn's view, it didn't look much like a heron. At best, it could be accepted as a representation of a bird of some sort.

The activity about the vessel appeared relatively subdued, indicating that cargo must have already been loaded and secured in the hold. There were just a few sailors checking over the rigging. One of them had climbed up the mast to examine something up there.

Making his way along the pier, Edwyn kept an eye out for someone in charge of the vessel. He couldn't tell if any of the three sailors in view looked any more senior than one another. With nothing or no one obstructing the way, he decided to ascend the boarding ramp to the deck of the vessel. He moved just far enough to allow Yurma to also make it onto the deck, then paused in place for a moment, waiting to see if he could gain the attention of one of the sailors.

A rugged looking Imperial man, with his dark hair tied back above his unruly dark stubble, soon made his way over. He looked to Edwyn and Yurma with an odd frown and with his mouth left half-open below his large crooked nose.

Edwyn chose to speak up first. "I believe that… that I need to see someone in charge of boarding passengers?"

The Imperial shook his head "Yeah well, Bosun's busy with the Cap'n. But, she left me with this." He pulled out a document that he had tucked into his shirt and looked down at what was written on it. "Says here, two passengers, paid for by the Merchants Guild." He looked to Edwyn with squinting eyes, then back to the document. "Says ah… says one from the Merchants Guild… Northwind?"

"Yes, Edwyn Northwind. I have my papers, if you need to see them." He tried to remain patient, maintaining a polite tone.

"An' it says a bodyguard?" The sailor looked back up again from the document.

Edwyn raised his eyebrows, feeling slightly surprised that he really needed to state the obvious. "Yes, my bodyguard." He pointed toward Yurma with his thumb.

The Imperial man nodded with a frown. "Yeah, that looks right ta me. Northwind and a bodyguard." He didn't seem to want to see Edwyn's papers. Instead, he turned to shout out to someone else. "Hoy, Wil. Wilhelm. Over here."

A younger Nord lad with messy fair coloured hair responded with an abbreviated wave. After dropping the rope he was coiling, he dashed over to see why he was being called.

The Imperial sailor spoke again. "Two passengers. Show 'em what's what and get 'em down ta their cabins."

Wilhelm returned a silent nod. He seemed to know exactly what was expected of him without further explanation. He looked to Edwyn and Yurma. "I'll lead the way."

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The younger Nord lad had guided Edwyn and Yurma down below to passenger quarters positioned on the starboard side of the vessel. Along the way, he'd pointed out the captain's cabin, advising that it was off-limits to passengers. He'd also pointed out the bathroom amenities and the ship's mess, further advising of rules of access to both places. Though it hardly seemed necessary, the lad told them that no passengers were permitted anywhere near the cargo hold. Once he'd escorted them to those cabins, pointed out the limited stowage and put keys to the lockable doors in their hands, Wilhelm was off to return to his other duties.

Edwyn found the tiny cabin to be rather rudimentary. The narrow bunk beds set against the hull didn't appear very appealing. The tiny table and stool wedged into the corner didn't really look to be fit for purpose. There was certainly no room at all for pacing the floor.

Only a limited amount of light made it into the small space via the little square porthole set into the hull above the top bunk. He expected that he'd need to light both of the sealed lanterns hanging on the walls, if he planned on doing any reading.

Of course, he'd not really expected anything notably different and he'd hardly be aboard the Heron long enough for it to grow uncomfortably wearisome. At the very least, he remained grateful that Yurma had been provided with a cabin of her own, located just next to his. It would have certainly been a rather less pleasant experience, had they needed to share the same space.

Edwyn observed that he'd have no trouble storing his document satchel in the lockable facilities. However, given that his travelling trunk was far too large to fit into the stowage compartment or even to leave anywhere on the floor, he hoisted it up onto the upper bunk and manoeuvred it toward one end by the wall, hoping that it would stay right there.

Suddenly feeling a little tired after the brisk march from the north of town down to the docks, Edwyn sat down upon the lower bunk to rest for a few moments. Since he didn't really feel like going through any of his documents at that moment, he saw no need to light the lanterns just yet. Until the ship was clear of the port, there was no going up on deck.

After a short while, the sporadic sounds of the knocking, banging and shouting coming from above deck offered some indication that the Glenumbra Heron was about to depart Wayrest. The gentle rolling motion of the vessel soon made it evident that the vessel had indeed moved away from the docks and was under way.

Though the voyage down the bay to Daggerfall would be a relatively short one as most seagoing journeys go, he anticipated that it would still prove suitably tedious. Even so, since the Heron was not stopping at any of the other ports of Iliac Bay along the way, it would be less troublesome than it could've otherwise been.

Though it wasn't his intention at all, resting his eyes for a moment as he leaned back upon the bunk, the rolling motion of the ship had somehow encouraged Edwyn to actually briefly nod off.

* * *

After waking from his unintended nap, it was a little later in the afternoon when Edwyn Northwind headed up onto the deck of the Glenumbra Heron. From recollection, he fully expected that it would be a full day before the vessel made it to Daggerfall and he felt like he really needed to take a walk and go get some fresh air.

Avoiding getting in the way of any of the deck crew, Edwyn made his way for a clear space by the bow of the vessel and leaned upon the timber rail on the starboard side. The smell of salt on the breeze was notable.

Looking out across Iliac Bay to the west, he could see the dark shadow of the Isle of Balfiera in the distance. Through the haze over the bay, he could just make out the Direnni Tower rising up from the island. As he knew well enough, it was once known as the Adamantine Tower. Some actually still preferred to call it by that ancient name. It was purportedly the oldest structure in all of Tamriel. It was said that it had been there since before the Aldmer colonised the region. According to legend, the tower had been created by the Divines back in the Dawn Era, serving as a meeting place for the Aedra after the initial creation of Mundus and Nirn.

Not at all doubting the existence of the Divines, he couldn't say whether those legends of the tower's origins were true. Even so, the fact that the Altmer made no claim that their Aldmer ancestors had originally created the tower added some weight to those legends.

Though the isle was effectively within the waters under Wayrest jurisdiction, it had long been considered neutral territory. It had sometimes served as a location where treaties and negotiations had taken place in the past. As a matter of tradition, the kingdoms of the bay had mostly consented to leave the isle in the hands of a Clan Direnni Castellan.

As far as Edwyn knew, there were just a few farming settlements on the isle, supplying enough produce to service the requirements of the Castellan's estates and the relatively small populace.

Though he'd had no direct dealings with the Direnni or their representatives, he understood that some of Wayrest's merchants handled some minor trade with them. Though the Clan Direnni of old gained their great wealth from merchant trade, they'd seemed far less active in that regard during past decades. As far as he knew, the only thing of some value to regularly come from Balfiera was a limited supply of Direnni wines.

In passing, Edwyn supposed that some might suggest that the Isle of Balfiera might serve as a far better place for holding a trade summit. However, the Emperor had a thing about wanting leading cities of the bay to host those gatherings. Apparently, he viewed it as part of the process of encouraging the ongoing mutual cooperation between the kingdoms of High Rock and western Hammerfell.

Another train of thought suddenly occurred to him. He recalled how a group of foreign Altmer living over in Sentinel had been targeted by Thalmor battlemages just a few decades before. The devastation had been contained to a small section of the city, but almost all the Altmer living there perished, or so it was said. Though he wouldn't claim to know the ins and outs of it, he would have imagined that the independent Altmer settlement on Balfiera might have presented a far easier target for that sort of thing, given the relative isolation.

Though Edwyn held no actual knowledge of any affinity between Clan Direnni and the ruling Thalmor of the former Summerset Isles, he wondered if there might be something like that, which remained unspoken. If so, that might possibly explain why recent summits and political meetings held about Iliac Bay over the past few decades had not been hosted there. Of course, he also considered that might just be wild speculation on his part.

"I was wondering where you'd gone off to."

Edwyn was momentarily startled by the voice coming from just behind him. Of course, it was Yurma. He turned partway to look to her with a mild frown. "I don't need you to follow me around everywhere I go."

The Orc affected a stern expression. "If I'm to serve as your bodyguard…"

Edwyn shrugged, returning his gaze toward the distant island across the bay. "Since we're on a small ship, I couldn't go too far."

Yurma's tone remained firm. "I'd be in plenty of trouble, if you went and fell overboard."

Edwyn looked down to the waters rushing by down below. "I'm not much of a swimmer. I think that I'd be in far more trouble."

"I probably wouldn't get paid."

Edwyn responded with a mildly amused snort. "No, perhaps not. I can be certain that my wife wouldn't too happy about it either."

"Or Guildhead Wickfield. Or my uncle. I'd probably need to just go throw myself overboard as well… just to avoid all the trouble."

Edwyn returned a crooked smile. He'd just decided that he might not find the company of his bodyguard quite so annoying as he'd previously expected. Another thought suddenly returned to him. "Earlier, you mentioned that Wickfield intended to send someone else."

"Garish gro-Yargol. Big male Orc. Darker colour. Getting on in years."

Edwyn nodded hesitantly. "I think that I've seen him about. Used to have a bushy dark hair up on top?" He gestured with his hand above his own head.

"Used to. Ain't so bushy no more. Like I said, he's getting on in years."

Edwyn returned a silent nod, glancing toward the rugged Hammerfell coastline across the bay to the east.

Yurma spoke again. "You're probably better off with me anyway. Garish is getting old enough that he's started going on about the glory of a warrior's death. I'm more about the glory of living a warrior's life."

Edwyn responded with a nod and crooked grin, then looked back out to the western waters. "So then, is your uncle the reason that you've joined up to serve with Wayrest's Fighter Guild?"

Yurma paused only briefly before answering. "Partly, maybe. Aside from uncle Karl, my folks are farmers, over in Ripwold. That's what my brother plans on sticking with. Even uncle Karl helps out with the farms now."

Though he'd never been over there, Edwyn knew where Ripwold was. It was located about a full day's ride or so north-west of Wayrest, in the highlands of the old Orsinium Protectorate region of the kingdom. From his recollection, it was one of only three proper settlements in the area. Ripwold was the westernmost of those three. Of course, there were also said to be several tribal villages of 'wild-Orcs' living somewhere up in the Wrothgarian Mountains. However, they hardly qualified as proper settlements and they wouldn't even appear on any official maps.

Edwyn realised that she hadn't exactly answered his question as he'd expected. "So, did you actually train with Karl gro-Baroth?"

Yurma released a short sigh. "Well, yeah. Not at first, but…" She shook her head as she paused. "My parents wanted me to stick with farming, like Bator, my younger brother." She paused again with sigh. "Over in Ripwold, we're a long way from Wayrest, or at least it seems that way. We don't have no City Watch or Imperial soldiers to help out with bandits and raiders and other troublemakers. All we got is a local Alderman and volunteer militia."

Edwyn responded with a grimace. "And you?"

"Yeah well, I started out with the Ripwold Militia, as a volunteer. My parents didn't like that one bit, but since I wasn't backing down, they let uncle Karl train me enough to hold my own. That's how it started. Eventually, I got good enough to try out for the Fighters Guild." She paused a moment. "Didn't hurt that Karl was my uncle, but I wouldn't have got in if I wasn't good enough. These days, I'm not back there as much, but I'm still helping the town. Like my uncle says, Ripwold is likely to get better help from Wayrest with a local Orc in the Guild."

"Is everyone in Ripwold… Orcish?" Edwyn remembered not to say Orsimer, since he understood that some Orcs really objected to the term. After all, it was an old Altmer word loosely meaning 'pariah-folk' or 'cursed-elves' or some such.

Yurma shrugged. "Most folk in Ripwold are Orc, but not all. Same with Reytry and Midpath Hill. Either way, we're stuck in the middle. Those Orcs up in the mountains look at us like 'city-Orcs' and folk in the city look at us like 'wild-Orcs'. In truth, I s'pose we ain't neither. I'd reckon that back when there was an Orsinium, things might've been different, but that's the past and this is the now."

Edwyn nodded grimly. Though he'd been only a boy at the time, he knew of the sacking of Nova Orsinium about fifty-odd years before. That happened during the Stormcrown Interregnum, not long before Titus Mede took control of things over in Cyrodiil and became the new Emperor. Though Wayrest hadn't directly supported Daggerfall and Sentinel in the lengthy siege of the Orcish city, it hadn't done anything at all to openly oppose it. Without structured support from the flailing Empire, the Queen of Wayrest felt forced to leave the Orcs of Orsinium to fight their own battle.

If not for the relatively small contingent of Imperial Legionnaires still in the vicinity at that time, those three farming settlements would've also been laid to waste by the invaders assaulting the Orcish city to the north. That still could have easily occurred, had they continued to offer any resistance as the remnants of the Seventh and Fifteenth Legions were seeking to evacuate Orcish children away to safety.

The Orsinium region remained a Protectorate of the Kingdom of Wayrest, albeit a fairly neglected one. Those three small communities remained the only recognised settlements of the area. Of course, the old city of Orsinium was nothing more than rubble and ruins and the tribal Orcish strongholds hidden somewhere in the mountains remained largely ignored.

None of that really needed to be spoken aloud, since Yurma would've already known all of it and possibly more. Another somewhat related thought came to Edwyn, but he chose to leave it alone for the time being.

Edwyn observed Yurma's gaze turned toward the south. He shifted to look in the same direction and spotted the distant sails on the bay. The vessel looked like it might be headed northbound, but he wasn't quite sure.

Yurma gave voice to her assessment. "Looks like Imperial Navy to me."

Edwyn shook his head, his eyes squinting. "How can you tell?"

"It's flying Imperial Navy flags." She sounded certain.

"Right, then." Edwyn accepted her word, though he still couldn't see. It was still too far off for his eyes. He took that as a sobering indication that perhaps he was starting to grow older than he otherwise felt.

A grumbling noise coming from his belly reminded Edwyn that he'd not eaten through the day and that it was starting to grow late in the afternoon. He gave voice to the suggestion of heading down to see what the Heron's mess offered in the way of suitable meals and then they were off down below.

~O~


	3. Chapter 3

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 3

Turdas the 1st of Evening Star 4E71 Morning

Edwyn Northwind had woken with a slight start that morning. It wasn't immediately obvious what might have caused to him to wake like that, since all seemed relatively quiet on the vessel. Even so, he'd forgotten exactly where he was, if only momentarily.

Though he'd initially found that narrow bunk terribly uncomfortable, the gentle rolling motion of the ship had eventually served to help him sleep soundly. Perhaps even a little more soundly than what he'd reasonably expected.

From what he'd heard in the ship's mess around dusk the previous day, the Glenumbra Heron would have been travelling the clear waters of the middle of the bay during the evening, under reduced sail. He'd been told that was typical for night sailing on the bay during fair weather. Of course, at least one sailor remained up on deck-watch looking out for any unexpected trouble, but otherwise plain sailing could be reasonably anticipated. Since nothing had disturbed his slumber, he imagined that had been the case.

With the arrival of the dawn, the course of the vessel would have been adjusted on a heading toward the west to follow the regular route, sailing just off the eastern coast of High Rock. As he already understood, the Heron had no plans to visit any of the lesser ports along the way. It would continue along the coastline toward the Straits of Betony, then around to the southern harbour of Daggerfall.

After leaving the mess behind and visiting the bathroom facilities, Edwyn had soon retired to his small cabin on the starboard side of the ship. Of course, though he couldn't really hear anything of her activities over the creaking noises of the ship's hull, he knew that Yurma gra-Sharma was in the cabin just next to his own.

After that brief nap during the afternoon, he'd found himself not immediately ready for sleep so early in the evening. With both of the lanterns of his small cabin burning, Edwyn looked to his document satchel. He hadn't immediately reached for any of the papers pertaining to his official business of the trade summit. He'd actually pulled out the detailed map of Daggerfall City that he'd brought along with him. Since he'd only been there just the once before, during a lesser trade negotiation about five years earlier, he felt the desire to again familiarise himself with the place.

At a glance, the layout of the city of Daggerfall looked disorderly and slightly confusing. At least, that's how it looked to him. By his reckoning, even Redguard Sentinel appeared far more logical in its roughly circular layout about the central palace district and the Hammerfell capital certainly seemed far easier to navigate.

Looking at the map of Daggerfall, it immediately seemed shaped by the terrain and constrained the great persistence of tradition over time. By comparison with his own city, the streets of Daggerfall seemed meandering and haphazardly arranged about the waterways and the rising and falling contours of the land.

Arguably, it did make a certain measure of sense that Castle Daggerfall and its associated facilities remained situated high upon that hill, overlooking the other districts of the city. With both the constructed fortifications and those natural formations, it very much presented as a defensive castle in the traditional sense.

The rest of the city and the fortified walls marking the perimeter seemingly reinforced the general notion that the whole city was merely a gradual outgrowth of that kind of design, which initially arose from a place constructed largely for the purpose of defence against hostile forces. By his reckoning, it hardly reflected any sort of mindful city planning.

By contrast, Edwyn felt that modern Wayrest had come to reflect something rather notably different from that. Something that followed a plan of different purpose. Of course Wayrest hadn't always been like that. However, it had suffered a number of sieges and other troublesome events over the past centuries, forcing some measure of change. Added to that, Wayrest had intentionally shifted and become shaped to serve the planning toward a certain sort of practical design.

He understood that it seemed a far cry from what it had previously been during much earlier periods. He did recall having seen maps of the layout of Wayrest from more than several hundred years before. In truth, the Wayrest of that earlier time seemed just as poorly designed as he thought Daggerfall to be. It looked nothing at all like the city he'd grown up in. The location of his own home would have been outside the walls of the city of that era. About the only thing in the same general location on those maps had been the main docks, and even that had been shifted slightly at least two or three times over the past centuries. The city streets of that earlier time seemed all over the place and there'd been an exposed waterway meandering up the middle of the city. The old Wayrest Castle of the Gardners and Cumberlands had been in a completely different location from where the newer and more stately palace stood in the middle of the spacious grounds in the north of the city. As near as he could tell, the old castle must have occupied part of what had since become the Cumberland Square District. The current Temple of the Divines was also situated further west of where the old one had once been. Parts of where the Westmarket District and Westcorner were since well established had not even been inside the walls back then. It even seemed that parts of the Old Town District of the north-western corner were also still outside the poorly designed outer walls of that earlier city.

In the modern layout of Wayrest, the outer walls of the main city formed a neatly framed rectangle. It didn't hurt that aside from the Portside District, most of Wayrest was upon relatively level land, with enough space to allow for some moderate expansion northward, eastward and westward. Nearly all of the old canals and waterways flowing toward the river had been long ago covered over or integrated into the sewer system. Aside from parts of Old Town and perhaps the less affluent Westcorner District, the main streets of the city had been more or less redirected to conform to an orderly grid of sorts. The broad boulevards running eastward and westward from Cumberland Square served as the backbone of the streets of the southern half of the city. The other main boulevard ran northward from the square, right through the centre of the Cumberland Square District, where the most significant business interests of Wayrest were situated. Lined by tall thin trees, that broad thoroughfare known simply as 'The Boulevard' continued northward through the sprawling royal gardens to Castle Wayrest. The ruling palace of Wayrest was unlike that castle in Daggerfall or that old castle that once served earlier dynasties. It resembled something more akin to a huge estate mansion set in the centre of the open palace grounds. Those grounds, with dutifully trimmed trees and gardens, fountains and the famous hedge-maze, easily occupied more than a third of the northern part of the walled city. All in all, Wayrest appeared to reflect its purpose. It seemed a city built for commerce and the populace that drove it.

Of course, he didn't really think that Daggerfall was not functional as a city. Only that its form remained more defined by its past, instead of embracing change to shape its future.

Given the terrain, he accepted that the Castle Daggerfall District could not have really been better placed anywhere else and the two harbours needed to be more or less exactly where they were. However, the other districts of city did not seem so well structured and he thought that the roads surely could have been shifted to follow more straight lines.

The Merchant Town District of Daggerfall was certainly dominated by merchant businesses, but it was also a residential district. The Castle Town District wasn't even situated near to the castle and it seemed a similar mix of traders and residences as that other trade district. The meandering waterway between those two districts seemed to define the shared borders. East of those two districts, the Eastbridge District seemed mostly a result of the need for residential expansion and appeared no better planned than other districts of the city.

Of course, Edwyn's opinions of Daggerfall were all very coloured by his direct comparison with Wayrest's more orderly layout. Even so, he still found Daggerfall's streets quite confusing and unnecessarily difficult to navigate.

At some point during the evening, he'd grown weary from looking over that map and pontificating upon the merits of better city design. Setting all of it aside, he put out the lanterns and climbed into that poor excuse for a bed.

After rising fairly early, Edwyn firstly sought out the bathroom facilities. After that, he'd briefly tapped upon the door to Yurma's cabin, but heard no response. Not feeling especially interested in visiting the ship's mess just yet, he decided to head above deck to see how the journey had progressed overnight.

* * *

Up on the open deck of the Glenumbra Heron, Edwyn observed that the sailors up there appeared somewhat relaxed and all of the vessel's main sails had been unfurled to catch the light salty breeze on the bay.

At that somewhat early hour, the sun was still relatively low in the eastern sky over Hammerfell. The heavens above appeared relatively clear, with just a few fluffy clouds drifting across the morning sky. Though there was a slight chill in the air over the bay, it wasn't especially cold. In fact, he thought that it seemed just a little warmer than typical for the first day of Evening Star.

Briefly troubling the female Breton bosun to see how they were faring, all Edwyn heard from her was that everything was fine and on course and that they expected to be in Daggerfall later in the day. She didn't seem at all inclined to convey anything more than that.

Accepting that terse summary, Edwyn cautiously wandered toward the bow of the vessel, seeking out that spot on the starboard side where he'd been standing the previous afternoon. He observed that the course of the Heron had already taken them far closer to the eastern coastline of High Rock.

Looking back toward the north, he found that he could just see the port of Anticlere in the distance. He could make out the sails of some smaller boats outside the harbour, as well as a much larger cargo vessel at port. He thought that it looked like one of those long-haul cargo vessels that commonly sailed right around Tamriel. With winter upon the land, none of those ships sailed around the north of Skyrim or Morrowind during those months. If they weren't completing a voyage around the southern parts of the continent, or taking on other short run contracts, they commonly headed back to home ports for maintenance and the like during the winter months.

Shifting his gaze in the other direction, the coastline of mainland High Rock continued to the south toward the visible horizon. To the left of the main body of land, he could just barely make out another shadow on the horizon to the south. He was fairly certain that he was looking at the craggy peaks of the north of the Isle of Betony.

It was fair to expect that it would be several hours before they'd be sailing the straits between Betony and the mainland. Unless the winds picked up significantly, he thought that it might well be later into the afternoon by the time they made port at Daggerfall.

"You're determined to make my job difficult, aren't you?"

Edwyn turned about to see Yurma glaring at him with a serious expression.

Edwyn adopted a conciliatory tone. "I did actually knock at the door to your cabin, but you weren't responding."

The Orc frowned. "I'd gone to the ship's mess, then bathroom, before coming looking for you. Figured out you weren't there."

Edwyn shrugged with a crooked grin. "We must have just missed one another."

Yurma looked past him toward the southern coast on that side. "Should be in Daggerfall this afternoon."

"Yes, I believe so. The ship's bosun says that everything is on course for that."

"When we get there, I hope you're not going to go wandering off on your own."

"I'd think that you should be able to keep up with me." Edwyn looked away toward the south, hiding his mild smirk. "Have you been to Daggerfall before?"

"A couple of times. When Fighters Guild business took me there. You?"

"Just the once, on Merchants Guild business."

"Probably friendlier there for you than me. Not many Orcs there and we ain't so welcome, unless maybe with the Fighters Guild or Legion. Even then, not so much."

Edwyn nodded, without directly meeting her gaze. "I understand."

"You s'posed to be representing all of Wayrest at that trade thing?"

Edwyn responded with a mild shrug. "I'm primarily representing Wayrest's Merchants and certain interests under direction of Queen Carolyna. The bankers and mariners are sending some others." He paused a moment. "I've also been authorised by the Lord of Gavaudon to negotiate on behalf of some of the local merchant interests. In particular, the trade relating to the Gavaudon tea growers. Some other regional centres are sending people. As I understand it, Menevia and Alcaire are sending their own representatives. Anticlere as well."

Yurma frowned. "Sounds more boring than dangerous. Apart from getting you there and back, doesn't really seem like I'll need to do too much. So long as you don't go wandering off from the castle."

Edwyn shrugged again. "No. I can't imagine that you'll see much excitement."

"I shouldn't complain about that."

Edwyn wasn't sure whether she was being sarcastic or otherwise. After a lengthy pause, another thought came to him. He glanced to Yurma. "Tell me, have you heard of that… of that Gorbakh?"

Her expression indicated that she had. "Gorbakh gro-Muk? Yeah, heard of him. Ain't met him. Used to be some sort of tribal warrior-priest from the mountains, but they say he's trying to be more priest than warrior."

Edwyn nodded. "I gained the impression that he's been talking with all the Orcish settlements of the region."

"Yeah, my father and uncle said they'd spoken with him, when he passed through Ripwold a few months back. Trying to get the settlements of the Orsinium region and the mountain strongholds to band together." She shook her head. "I really can't see anything coming from that."

Edwyn's thoughtful expression indicated a brief hesitation, before he decided to continue. "He came to see me, only just recently."

Yurma raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. "What for?"

"He was trying to persuade me to lobby on his behalf. Well, on behalf of other Orcs in the region. As you'd know, there are limitations placed upon the volume of the trade of orichalcum ore and processed metal ingots coming out of the Orsinium Protectorate."

Yurma nodded. "Yeah, I know that. And no trade of Orcish weapons or armours and shields."

"That's right, the trade embargo imposed by Daggerfall. Only the Orcish smiths in Wayrest are permitted to forge those items and there are strict limits on how much can be sold or exported."

Yurma's silent expression conveyed that she didn't think she was hearing anything that she didn't already know.

Edwyn resumed. "That Gorbakh, he wants to see all that changed. He thinks that if the Orcs of the region are free to produce and export more Orcish products, and if the mining activity was a… was a profitable activity… well, he's got some idea of establishing another Orsinium City… again."

Yurma shook her head again. "I can't see it. It's way too late for that."

Without responding verbally, Edwyn raised his eyebrows. He was actually expecting that she might hold a different opinion.

Yurma continued. "The Orcs of the Wrothgarian Mountains ain't gonna be part of anything like that. In any event, more than half the Orcs are long gone from the area. Some went into the northern Dragontail Mountains and lots more went off over the Druadach Mountains into Skyrim. I can't see them all coming back, just because one mad Orc thinks he can bring back the past."

"Though I'd like to help local Orcs of the Protectorate, I couldn't really see the return of an Orsinium City either. Added to that, I don't think that either Daggerfall or Sentinel would allow it." He paused with a frown. "In passing, he mentioned 'The Book of Gortwog'."

Yurma's brow furrowed. "Never heard of it."

"Nor had I. I would have thought that everything to do with Gortwog gro-Nagorm was long gone, along with Orsinium."

Yurma shrugged. "Gortwog did what he did… and all that's in the past. We got proper rights as Imperial citizens and they let us in the Legion and such, if we want that. But Orsinium didn't work out. Not like that anyway." She shook her head. "I'd just be happy to see the settlements of the Orsinium region get fair treatment. If we gotta be part of the Wayrest Kingdom, then we oughta be treated like part of it."

Edwyn returned a thoughtful nod. "You'll hear no argument from me. I don't believe that the Queen holds any objection to that either. Still, I'm not sure that can I do much to change minds of those in Daggerfall or Sentinel."

Yurma made a noise that sounded like a cross between a snort and a sigh. She looked away toward the waters of the bay again.

Edwyn suddenly realised that he was feeling hungry. He looked back toward the door to down below. "I think that I might go see if I can get anything to eat."

Yurma looked to him, shifting her stance. "I've already eaten, but I'll come with you to the ship's mess."

Edwyn responded with an agreeable nod "After that, I'll think go to my cabin. I have some documents I'd like to look over."

Yurma nodded in the direction of the aft of the vessel, indicating that she was ready to follow.

Edwyn started to move off. "Of course, I'll be sure to let you know if I plan to go anywhere. Provided that I can find you."

"See that you do."

Though he didn't turn to look, Edwyn could tell that she was probably smiling as she made her retort.

~O~


	4. Chapter 4

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 4

Turdas the 1st of Evening Star 4E71 Afternoon

Leaving the upper deck of the Glenumbra Heron earlier in the morning and returning to down below, Edwyn Northwind briefly visited the ship's mess. He managed to acquire a bowl of clam broth and some Menevia Broadleaf tea to serve as an adequate morning meal. After that, he briefly visited the bathroom once more, then headed off back to his small cabin for the remainder of the morning. Accompanying him each step along the way, his Orcish bodyguard returned to her own cabin just next door, remaining close by, but otherwise leaving him be.

As before, he needed to light the lanterns to provide adequate lighting in that dim cabin. Then as intended, Edwyn looked to the bundled content of his document satchel. Once again familiarising himself with various documents and notes that he'd brought along, he gave some thought to some of the things that he reasonably anticipated might likely be raised during the trade summit in Daggerfall.

Though the far broader picture would likely play some part in his own sphere of concern, Edwyn firstly considered those things nearest to the Kingdom of Wayrest, before thinking of the rest of High Rock, neighbouring Hammerfell and places even further afield.

Given that the Countess of Menevia had declined make use of Wayrest officials in negotiations, instead choosing her own representation, he'd made some fair assumptions. He reasonably speculated that Menevia was pushing for competing interest with Gavaudon. The ongoing rivalry between the tea growers of each of those areas had been a point of contention for many decades. Those two regional lands bordered upon the Wayrest region, with Menevia to the west and Gavaudon to the north-east. Both did quite well from the tea trade, but neither seemed satisfied with the state of the competition. Since he'd been authorised to negotiate on behalf of Gavaudon, he expected to find himself in the middle of that.

Edwyn also expected Alcaire mining interests to come up in discussions. With the Duchy of Alcaire bordering upon County Menevia, the Orsinium Protectorate and the Wrothgarian Mountains, that was to be expected. Of course, political details of local mining rights were not directly his concern. He only needed to fully concern himself with the aspects relating to trade contracts and certain transport interests. Still, even those things were not so necessarily absent of political motivation. That was somewhat supported by the fact that Alcaire was also seeking an independent voice at the summit, rather than bundling their interests with the Kingdom of Wayrest, as a whole.

If was reasonable to presume that Anticlere's fishing and shipping interests would also be part of discussions. Though the southernmost land of Wayrest's holdings generally avoided directly upsetting neighbouring Daggerfall, the overlap with the fishing territories of Alcaire sometimes caused friction. Anticlere's other shipping interests were also notably significant. They ran a number of smaller trade vessels that sailed up and down the bay. There were also a few larger cargo vessels that sailed much further afield. They had contracted dealings with Cyrodiil's Imperial Trading Company and East Empire Company in the north, as well as some other lesser regional operations. In that regard, the ships of Anticlere commonly competed with a number of regional interests including Wayrest's.

That was just some of the local territories of the Wayrest Kingdom. Edwyn didn't have a clear picture of precisely what might be raised by Sentinel or other parts of Hammerfell. He did understand that Sentinel remained the dominant voice for most of Hammerfell. So that did tend to simplify matters of trade negotiation. Only two Redguard cities carried any notable measure of independence from the capital of Sentinel.

Given its proximity to Anvil and the Imperial Province, Rihad tended to have far more direct dealings with Cyrodiil. Still, aside from presenting as a convenient point of layover for trade vessels travelling between the east of the west, trade interests in Rihad seemed to hold few contracts with any of the cities of Iliac Bay, other than directly with Sentinel.

Of course the remote isle of Stros M'Kai, situated well south of the mainland in the waters of the Abecean Sea, was the other notable Redguard city to hold some independence in trade matters. Despite allegiance to the ruling capital of Hammerfell, it was well known that Stros M'Kai remained perfectly self sustainable in most matters, including that of trade. The island was rich in ores coming out of the mines and Stros M'Kai Rum continued to be a major export.

A long time had passed since the pirate vessels of old found safe harbour on the isle at Port Hunding or Saintsport. Since before the end of the Third Era, Stros M'Kai had remained one of the most important ports along the seagoing trade routes between Iliac Bay and the Imperial Cyrodiil. Pirates hiding among the islands of The Chain and other smaller islands of the Abecean might have continued to provide concern at times, but Stros M'Kai remained a port of relative safety and a respected trade hub.

Edwyn couldn't really predict anything of what might be raised by a representative of Stros M'Kai. That could well be even more unpredictable than what the interests of Sentinel might have in mind, or even slightly at odds, without being directly in conflict.

Naturally, Daggerfall itself would represent a great deal of focus for a number of trade interests. Though Wayrest certainly stood as the dominant trade hub of the bay, Daggerfall remained the political leader of all High Rock, at least in the eyes of the Empire.

Edwyn had always found it mildly interesting that Daggerfall effectively maintained three ports servicing the city, when surely one really orderly port should have sufficed, as it did with Wayrest's Portside facilities. To his thinking, that again demonstrated Daggerfall's favour of past tradition over practical planning.

Though well sheltered, the Southgate Harbour was not really large enough to accommodate the requirements of a busy port. It was adequate to meet the requirements of smaller vessels and fishermen, but not so much for larger cargo ships.

Larger vessels typically docked over at the more expansive port facilities below Daggerfall's Harbour Town District on the western side. With the proper lighthouse facility and deepwater docks, it could easily be argued that it was all the port that the city needed.

The other port was situated much further afield to the east, where the Daggerfall River flowed out to the waters of Iliac Bay. By road, it was good half a day's ride out from the eastern edge of Daggerfall. The settlement located there was primarily a lumber mill town with some fishing interests, but the small harbour by the mouth of the river actually provided the place with some measure of relevance as a tertiary trading port for Daggerfall.

Mostly, Edwyn anticipated that Daggerfall would be trying to assert its relevance and political dominance via trade matters. There was nothing new in any of that. Thankfully, the bluster of Daggerfall's banking interests would likely fall outside of his direct concern. However, many other things were likely to overlap with concerns of Wayrest's Merchants Guild. Though there would surely be several things that remained variations upon what had been previously established, he reasonably imagined that he'd need to tackle certain issues of more surprising nature, as they became apparent.

As for other regional areas of High Rock, he fully expected the interests of Camlorn would be perfectly aligned with that of Daggerfall, since the ruling families of both cities had effectively become one and the same.

Shornhelm rarely had much to say of contention in matters of commerce. It generally tended to mostly go along with Daggerfall, though much of its trade travelled overland via Northpoint. Though Northpoint remained an important trading hub in its own right, servicing the cargo vessels travelling to or from the northern lands, it also usually tended to go along with what Daggerfall wanted. Since both Farrun and Jehanna remained somewhat secondary to Northpoint, neither of those centres commonly went against that other city, and so effectively also tended to go along with Daggerfall.

Evermor remained one of the few independent kingdoms that directly aligned itself with Wayrest, at least in matters of commerce. Since most trade in and out of Evermor came along the Bjoulsae River, Wayrest was effectively its most important trading partner. In a somewhat indirect fashion, several of Wayrest's and Evermor's trade interests did actually have some overlap, even if Wayrest was really the more substantial party in such things.

Given that that he was largely speculating upon vagaries, rather than certainties, Edwyn eventually set aside what he was going over. No matter how well prepared he was for the trade summit, he understood that some of what he'd be dealing with wouldn't be known until it became known.

Given that it had passed the mark of noon by that time, Edwyn noticed that he'd started to feel just slightly hungry again. If only to find himself doing something else, he decided that he might go visit the ship's mess once again and see how the Heron had progressed along its course down the bay.

* * *

Judiciously avoiding upsetting Yurma gra-Sharma, Edwyn knocked at the door to her cabin to advise her of where he was going and what he intended to do. Though he'd not given any thought to how she might have been passing her time, he found himself feeling just slightly surprised to observe that she was reading a book. If only from the title on the cover, it seemed more likely a work of fiction than a technical book or historical tome. Merely setting it aside, she offered no comment and so he said nothing of it.

With his Orcish bodyguard behind him, Edwyn made his way along the corridor and around to the ship's mess. There was nobody else there, but for the ship's cook. Responding to casual inquiry, the Breton cook advised that all the sailors were busy on deck with manoeuvring the Straits of Betony. He suggested that it really wouldn't be a good time to go up there or get in anyone's way. He further advised that it would be even busier once the Heron was on the final approach to the inlet to the southern harbour of Daggerfall.

Edwyn might have preferred to pass some time above deck, but accepted that he'd just have to keep out of the way of ship's activities until they arrived at their destination.

At that particular moment, the Breton cook only had things in the cooking pots that weren't quite ready. Avoiding being any more of a nuisance than seemed necessary, Edwyn opted for some cinnamon bread sticks and some tea. Only since he hadn't tried any of it recently, he went with a mug of Gavaudon Green tea. Remaining otherwise taciturn, Yurma casually chose to have exactly the same thing as Edwyn.

Leaving the ship's cook to his own tasks, they took to seats at a table in the relatively empty mess to eat and drink their tea. Without commenting, Edwyn thought that the bread must have come from Wayrest, since it tasted much like what he was accustomed to. However, it didn't seem quite as fresh as he might have preferred. The tea was fine, though not necessarily his favoured blend of flavour. Yurma didn't indicate any outward assessment of either thing, consuming the repasts in relative silence.

Aside from the subdued noises that the cook was making and the creaking of the timber vessel, the occasional muffled sounds of shouting voices up above deck were the only things to be heard.

Looking over the top of his mug of tea, Edwyn chose to interrupt the prolonged moments of awkward quiet. "Tell me, how long have you been with the Fighters Guild?"

Yurma finished a sip of tea before responding. "Long enough. Near to five years."

"Hmm." Edwyn was taking a sip as he acknowledged her answer. He recalled that his sister Monika served with Chorrol's Guildhall for more than a decade and her husband Alex for perhaps only about four. Without truly being able to make an informed estimate, he supposed that Yurma must surely be adequately experienced, if not necessarily someone to be considered a veteran of such things.

Evidently, Yurma guessed at some of what he might be thinking. "I just made fourth rank a couple of months back."

"Impressive." Edywn nodded. He understood enough. It meant that she'd risen nearly half way up the ranking in just five years. So, he took that as meaning that she must have been somewhat driven and presumably quite competent.

Since Edwyn had made inquiry, Yurma posed a similar question. "So, you're a Chief in the Merchants Guild?"

Edwyn nodded awkwardly. "Well, one of three in Wayrest. We all answer to the Master of our Guild and in turn, we have several under us on the Board of Associates. It certainly took me far longer than five years to reach my position."

Without comment, Yurma frowned. She may have been uncertain what was meant by that last part. It didn't seem delivered with any intent of insult.

Edwyn quickly resumed. "Though far less dangerous than your profession, what I do might be surprisingly complicated. My current tasks involve a great deal of examination and negotiation with various parties, each with their own interests and agenda. It's rarely as simple or straight forward as I might prefer."

Yurma released a little snort. "Most of my negotiation comes at the end of a blade or axe. Maybe just a good smack in the face, if I'm s'posed to avoid any killing or maiming."

Edwyn grinned, suppressing the urge to laugh. "I expect that some of my negotiations might pass more easily, if I could employ those methods."

Yurma shrugged. "Maybe. By my reckoning, I couldn't do any of what you do and you probably ain't suited to what I do."

"No, perhaps not. I'm too little old for that sort of thing anyway."

"Ain't about age. You just ain't trained for it. Your older sister must've been about fifty, when she was in the Fighters Guild. Only just a bit older than that when, she gave it up."

Edwyn raised his eyebrows. "Did your uncle tell you that?"

Yurma shrugged again. "Yeah. He told me about some of the people he worked with over in Chorrol. Said Monika might've been the one to take over from him, if she hadn't gone off with Pinewatch to go start a family. Uncle Karl said she was pretty much the same age as him, but some of you half-elf types don't seem to age the same as Orcs. My uncle is near the end of his days, but I reckon she must still look no older than you."

Edwyn finished another sip of tea, tilting his head slightly. "I haven't seen her in some time, but I expect that's probably right. In fact, I'm probably starting to look like I'm her older brother, since I possibly take a little more after our father than our mother."

"He was Nord?"

"Yes, Nord. He's been gone a while now, but our mother is still doing quite well."

Yurma grimaced. "I figure that uncle Karl might not be around much longer, but I'm hoping my parents have a bit more time."

"Yes well, I suppose that each of us only have as much time as we have. I'd say that it's best to just make the most of what time we have and do our best to leave things better than we found them… as much as such things are possible."

Yurma didn't seem to hold any argument with any of that. She focussed upon the remainder of the tea in her mug, before it grew too cool.

After finishing up in the ship's mess, followed by a brief visit to the bathroom facilities, Edwyn and Yurma returned to their respective cabins to wait out the remainder of the voyage.

* * *

It had to be at least about three hours past noon by the time that the Glenumbra Heron was finally settled into port. In Edwyn's mind, the time since noon had passed quite slowly. Of course, there was nothing to be done about it, but just wait it out.

Aside from again sorting those things in his document satchel, he avoided allowing his thoughts to become entangled with any of it, like he'd done earlier in the day. Though he'd briefly given some passing thought to the content of his travelling trunk, it had really been no more than that. He'd already decided to continue wearing his current attire, at least until he was up in the vicinity of the royal court of Daggerfall.

A great deal of noise coming from above deck at one point during the afternoon provoked Edwyn to believe that the vessel was finally about to dock. However, he soon realised that hope was somewhat premature. The following movement of the vessel soon informed him that it was clearly something else. He reasonably deduced that it actually must have been the manoeuvring of the ship through the narrows leading into the harbour inlet. Another short while passed before the next wave of creaking, banging, and shouting provided the fair impression that the Heron was actually docking at port. A final series of thuds shuddering throughout the hull eventually confirmed that supposition.

A few moments later, Edwyn and Yurma looked to departing their cabins. He'd made the assumption that there wouldn't be any unloading of cargo until the passengers were out of the way and they were the only two passengers on the ship. So, the sooner they were gone, the quicker that other ship business could be under way.

Of course, Yurma once again immediately insisted upon taking the load of Edwyn's trunk. Rather than offering any token objection, Edwyn conveyed genuine gratitude, sounding far more like a friendly acquaintance than an individual of supposed importance addressing a bodyguard. He actually felt slightly awkward, thinking that he might be sounding too familiar. In fact, he was already feeling awkward over the notion of having a bodyguard at all. Yurma didn't seem to notice or care, or at least provided no outward impression of such.

After making their way right through the ship up to the exit onto the main deck, the Heron's bosun intercepted them, pulling them up short of the doorway. She asked them to step back inside to wait for a few moments. Yurma made a noise of annoyance, but headed back along the corridor, setting down the heavy trunk on the deck with an exaggerated grunt.

Edwyn only caught a brief glance of what was going on outside. It looked like two men were having a shouting match over something. Only from the absurd hat that he was holding in his hand, he made the assumption that the older Breton man might be the captain of the vessel. He presumed that the portly Redguard he was arguing with must have had something to do with running the local docking operations. Since it was none of his business, he didn't ask the bosun what it was about. He reasonably presumed that she wouldn't be telling anyway. He hoped that it wouldn't take too long.

~O~


	5. Chapter 5

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 5

Turdas the 1st of Evening Star 4E71 Late Afternoon

After waiting for the argument between the ship's captain and that darkly coloured Redguard to subside, the bosun finally gave Edwyn and Yurma the all clear to proceed to disembark the Glenumbra Heron. Without speaking to anyone at all, the captain of the vessel had stormed by with a dark scowl on his face, presumably headed directly for his private quarters. Edwyn held no reasonable idea of exactly what the argument might have been about and made no effort to inquire. He was only interested in getting off the ship and being on his way. From Yurma's expression, he expected that she cared even less for anything interrupting her task. Especially with that heavy trunk to carry.

They needed to dodge past some of the sailors on deck, but after that they were soon taking the boarding ramp onto the docks of the Southgate Harbour District of Daggerfall. A few noisy gulls were plaguing the piers, but keeping well clear of anyone. Watching that the annoying seabirds weren't flying directly overheard was a fair concern. From Edwyn's estimation, that surely seemed the one constant of any port on the bay. He imagined that it was most likely the same in other seaports far further afield.

Much as it had been earlier in the day, the afternoon skies above still appeared relatively clear. Just a few large white fluffy clouds drifted overhead like ethereal ships upon the sea. A light offshore breeze from the east brought just a subtle chill to the air, with a promise of a cooler evening on the way.

Briefly glancing about the small inlet, Edwyn noticed only one other vessel of a similar size to the Heron in view. It looked to be a ship of a similar sort of purpose. There were a few smaller fishing boats docked about the lesser piers on the small island situated just to the west of the main dock and there were naturally even more seagulls over there.

An elevated timber bridge connected that island to the larger dock by the shore. It was fair to note that there wasn't really much space for too many more vessels in that small harbour. Certainly, no more large vessels of any size could have been accommodated.

On the shore side of the docks, a long narrow timber structure presented as one of the lower cargo warehouses. There were some other structures of a similar nature up on the higher ground just above. Several bushes and a few taller trees were also growing along those cliffs up above the shoreline.

That portly Redguard was still making his way for a detached structure by the far end of the lower warehouse. Edwyn expected that he was probably the local dock master or some such. That offered some partial reason for why there might have been some argument with the captain of the Glenumba Heron.

With Yurma following him and carrying his heavy travelling trunk hoisted upon her left shoulder, Edwyn headed up the sloping timber walkways. Those boardwalks led directly from the lower docks to the path through the southern harbour district to the main districts of the city.

Along the way, they passed those other warehouses on the higher ground above the docks area. Above that, a broad stone stairway proceeded upward toward a tall stone wall, which possibly once served as a defensive structure, but also seemed to structurally shore up the ground of those slopes above from erosion or collapse.

Beyond that lower wall, some even taller dark gray stone walls rose up, marking the boundary of Daggerfall's older main city boundary. Slightly off to his left a little, Edwyn could just see the tall towers of Castle Daggerfall up on the tallest hillside of the city. Of course, though that was their immediate destination, they needed to pass through the two central districts of the city to actually get to up it.

"Hold up a bit."

Edwyn paused and turned about with raised eyebrows. He observed Yurma shifting the position of the trunk upon her shoulder and also adjusting the hilt of the single-handed axe hanging from her belt so that it remained within reach of her free hand.

"Don't want you getting ahead of me. You look like a perfect mark for thieves and troublemakers… and I'm s'posed to be keeping you safe from that sort of thing."

Edwyn opened his mouth with a mild protest in mind, then decided it far better to keep those thoughts to himself. After all, she was probably right.

A momentary distraction came in the form a small dog dashing past down the ramp, headed toward the docks. The animal appeared to be running free on its own. Edwyn seemed a bit surprised, but Yurma remained unaffected. She nodded her head in the direction they were meant to be moving.

With his Orcish bodyguard again at his side, Edwyn again continued onward up the stone stairway, making some effort not to outpace her with his stride. Proceeding uphill through the Southgate Harbour district and following the path of the winding street, they were soon heading into the edge of the Merchant Town District of Daggerfall.

There were several residential homes standing side-by-side on that end of Merchant Town. In general style, they were not so different from houses of Wayrest. Though it did seem as though those structures he observed were jostling for the limited space available in that part of town. They were mostly of a mixed construction of timber and stone. According to his older sister, many of the houses and inns of parts of Imperial Cyrodiil also looked much the same.

An old Breton woman seated on the porch at the front of her home cast a curious glance as they passed by. It was probably Yurma who attracted her gaze. A large mangy looking cat with mottled gray fur sat by her feet on the porch. At least, Edwyn presumed it was cat. He was aware that certain types of Khajiit could look like that, but he'd never seen one, or at least as far as he was aware. He was of the understanding that the Alfiq were rarely seen outside of their native homelands in Elsweyr.

Just a little further along, they were passing by some stores and taverns, lining the edges of Tradesman's Square. Of course, Edwyn only knew of that name from studying the maps of the city. It hardly seemed much of a square in his mind. It was certainly nothing like Wayrest's Cumberland Square. It was really no more than an intersection of lesser streets, with an old statue in the centre.

There were just a few people moving along the street in either direction. Most were Breton, but not all. A pair of bored looking city guards watched the streets from where they leaned against the wall of the small blacksmith store.

A man of haggard appearance in ragged clothing appeared to be eyeing the guards from a side street across the square from the blacksmith's. Though he wasn't actively accosting anybody at that moment, he did have the general look of a beggar.

Edwyn had certainly seen beggars before, but they were somewhat less common back in Wayrest. Though there were some poor in his city, most notably in the Westcorner District, there was a greater abundance of wealth and available work.

When beggars turned up in Wayrest, they were more often pressed into working for the city, if they couldn't find other work. A number of the municipal garbage collectors started off as would be beggars. The Temple of the Divines was also known to house some of the poverty stricken for brief periods.

With all of that in mind, he also understood that Wayrest was notably less tolerant of begging in general. Those insisting upon taking to professional begging over accepting other options, often ended up passing some time in the City Watch prison cells. It seemed harsh to some minds, but it did seem to serve to discourage that sort of thing.

Though Edwyn probably hadn't noticed, Yurma had been aware of those guards by the blacksmith's keeping an eye upon her. Even though it was obvious that she was with the reasonably well-dressed 'Breton', she was an Orc, and so attracted some measure of suspicion.

Just beyond the square, Daggerfall Cathedral rose up above the other structures to greater height. Of course, that was the local Temple of the Divines. Since it had been possibly better maintained, it was much older than the temple in Wayrest and perhaps a little larger.

Just past the temple, a stone bridge crossed over the waters of the stream, leading to a cluster of more expensive looking residences located below the castle district. It appeared that there used to be some point of access up to the castle from there, but it had been long since blocked off by a newer section of stone wall with upper ramparts. Since there was another guard leaning by the wall up there, it looked like it probably served as a convenient lookout post for the local City Watch.

In passing, Edwyn noted the cascades of Merchant Town, coming down from the mountain lakes in the hills above and beyond Castle Daggerfall. Those houses in front mostly obscured his clear view of the path of the waterway.

A little further along, where the street they followed started downhill, he gained a better view of the waters where they wound through the centre of the city. Though it didn't seem much of a river right there, it did provide a steady source of fresh water for the city. He understood that it actually became more of a river further east of the city, where it joined with the other streams flowing down from the Ilessan Hills, then continued eastward out toward Iliac Bay. Even so, it was nothing at all like the broad reach of the Bjoulsae where it joined with the bay near Wayrest.

Where some of those cascades pooled down below the Daggerfall Castle District, the waters ran along the edge of the open marketplace bazaar, situated north of the temple. A few shady trees framed the area. Some had shed most of their leaves, but not all. Some still held onto foliage of golden brown, providing some limited shade.

There were quite a few people milling about down there among the open stalls. Most of them looked to be Breton, though some were of Nordic or Imperial appearance, and there were just a couple of Redguard, a Dark-elf and a shorter Wood-elf of stout frame. The feline Cathay-Khajiit operating a stall also stood out from others in the sparse crowd. Another pair of city guards casually wandered about the area.

Since that wasn't where they needed to go, Edwyn didn't pay too much attention what was going in that open marketplace.

Following the branch in the street headed off to the right, they came to another stone bridge crossing over the Daggerfall River. It still seemed no more than a small stream. Though from the height of the bridge and the look of the riverbanks, he imagined that it might easily become a raging torrent when heavy rainfall occurred.

Just next to the bridge, there was an old grain mill with a waterwheel, situated right in the middle of the city. It seemed an oddity to Edwyn. Wayrest had long since shifted such things away from the centre of commerce. He took that as just another indication of how he thought that Daggerfall failed to embrace the future in favour of the past.

Once across the river, they were in the Castle Town District of Daggerfall. Directly ahead, the Daggerfall Fighters Guild was in clear view. There were a number of taverns, inns and stores in that direction, with more residential structures located beyond. He knew that the street veering off to the right through the old defensive stone wall led out to the Eastbridge District. Of course, that was the opposite direction to where they were headed.

After following that street taking them near to the Fighters Guild, they turned off to the left, following another street uphill around a retaining wall, which effectively doubled back toward the south. From there, they took the street running past the Mages College along the edge of the Castle Town District. That was the main way leading up to the Daggerfall Castle District.

Just behind and above the Mages College, the more recently constructed Bank of Daggerfall stood prominently upon the hillside. Edwyn understood that the previous location had been over near the temple, where it had stood for centuries.

Though it might have seemed a little petty, he couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised that someone in Daggerfall actually had the good sense to decide to build the newer banking facilities much closer to the castle, in an obviously far better protected position.

Following that street past the bank up to the castle district, another guard of the City Watch provided Yurma with a prolonged glare, but didn't actually challenge her passage as she walked along behind Edwyn.

The walkway carried them up near to those ramparts above that residential area at the back of Merchant Town. The broad stone stairway on the right led straight up to the front of Castle Daggerfall on the hillside.

Edwyn paused a moment to look up at the castle. The late afternoon sun had already descended from view, leaving that side of the structure in shadow. The main part of the castle loomed tall and broad with its central towers rising up from the fortified stone structure. Two other tall towers were located at either side of the main castle with lower constructed wings connected to the central structure. It didn't seem quite as wide as Castle Wayrest, but the fortified styling made it stand much taller. Of course, that position up on the hillside exaggerated that perception even further. A noisy crow cawed from a parapet high above.

Edwyn turned about for a moment, looking past Yurma to the city below. From that vantage, the disparate heights of the varied levels of sections of those districts below appeared even more pronounced. He couldn't actually see the whole of Daggerfall from there. Both harbour districts were mostly out of view and the Eastbridge District remained obscured behind the old defensive walls of the inner part of the city.

Shifting the weight of the trunk on her shoulder, Yurma glared at him. "What are we waiting for?"

Edwyn cleared his throat. "Yes, of course. You're right."

He turned about and proceeded up toward the main gated doorway at the front of Castle Daggerfall. Two guards stood resolute at either side of the heavy timber doors. They obviously served as Royal Palace Guards. They wore far more ornate armour, which made them immediately stand out from those more utilitarian outfits of the City Watch. The more defined crest insignia upon the armour and shields also marked them as Knights of the Dragon. The golden framed emblem featured a red dragon in profile over a green background. Of course, the guards of the City Watch wore a similar crest, but a far less detailed version.

Pulling out his relevant documentation, Edwyn approached the guards by the door.

"Edwyn Northwind, of Wayrest's Merchants Guild. I'm here for the trade summit… with my bodyguard, from the Fighters Guild." He offered his papers for examination.

The guard on the left accepted the papers and made cursory examination. Without speaking at all, he nodded then indicated his acceptance. Neither guard paid any obvious attention to Yurma. Having been granted passage, they proceeded inside through the doors.

* * *

Once inside the entry hall of Castle Daggerfall, Edwyn needed to repeat the procedure of identifying himself to those guards just inside. He was advised that he firstly needed to report to the Imperial Consul to Daggerfall and that another guard would escort him directly to that location.

No obvious consideration was directed toward his Orcish bodyguard, seeming as though she remained mostly ignored, though that was hardly likely to be the case.

In passing, the guard who took charge of them mentioned only that they were headed into the southern wing and advised them not to stray. She proceeded to lead them down a long corridor to the left, then through another series of turns and corridors until finally arriving at their intended destination.

After knocking at the door with the Imperial Dragon emblem, the guard listened for a response and then entered the opened doorway. She advised the man inside that she was delivering another summit delegate, then stepped aside to remain outside.

Edwyn proceeded into the Consular office, Yurma followed along behind, but remained near to the door. A slightly balding Imperial man of Nibenese appearance stepped out from behind his large oak desk. He affected a practiced smile. Though his attire easily offered fair suggestion of his standing, there was something else in his posture that implied a heritage of nobility. Approaching Edwyn, he introduced himself with extended hand.

"Quintus Carvain. Imperial Consul to Daggerfall."

"Edwyn Northwind, representing Wayrest's Merchants Guild. I have my papers."

The Consul accepted the papers, making only a brief examination, then handing them back with a nod. During the moment of silence, he'd noticed Edwyn's frown and slightly thoughtful expression and responded by raising his eyebrows in unspoken question.

Edwyn nodded subtly, taking the Imperial man's expression as an invitation. "Are you at all related to the Carvains of Bruma?"

The Consul affected a slight smile. "Guilty as charged, I'm afraid. I'm cousin to the current Count of Bruma. Though I currently serve at the pleasure of the Emperor."

Edwyn nodded, accepting that information.

Carvain continued. "Several of the delegates made it here yesterday. Some other late arrivals reported in a little earlier today. Some of them from your general area of High Rock. I do believe that nearly everyone has arrived. Everyone, except for the Trade Minister representing Emperor Attrebus. I am hoping that he'll make it here by this evening. If not, then no later than tomorrow. He really should have been here by now. I imagine that his vessel has merely been delayed, somewhere along the way."

"I'm sure that's all it is." Edwyn was also quietly hoping things would be properly under way by the next day.

The Consul affected a reassuring expression. "Yes, I'm sure. As soon as the Minister arrives, we should all be quite ready to officially commence the proceedings." His expression shifted subtly, as he paused. "In the meantime, we should see to it that you're escorted to the assigned quarters reserved for you. You should have the time to freshen after your journey from Wayrest." He paused again. "I'm afraid that your bodyguard will need to be housed within your assigned quarters, since accommodations are rather limited at this time."

Edwyn shrugged lightly. "I'm sure that will be fine."

Carvain was obviously weighing his thoughts. "Though I certainly recognise and respect the great value of Orcish warriors with loyalties to the Empire, not everyone in Daggerfall is so… accommodating."

Edwyn glanced only fleetingly toward Yurma. She seemed unmoved by the Consul's comments. He still felt the need to respond on her behalf. "My bodyguard… she is the niece of Karl gro-Baroth. Former Guild Master of Chorrol's…"

"Yes, yes. I know who he was. The Emperor held him in great favour, as did his father. However, the royal household of Daggerfall is rather less fond of Orcish visitors, no matter the heritage. I'm afraid that there will likely be certain places that she cannot pass."

"Then, I suppose that I should try to avoid those places." Edwyn still didn't think that he really needed a bodyguard, but accepted that he'd have her company for the next few days.

"Yes well, in certain places you'll be under the direct protection of the Royal Palace Guard, so your safety should not at all be in question."

"Of course." Edwyn chose to accept that advice without further question.

The Consul shifted with a slight start. "Oh, before I forget… I do need to inform you of tonight's proceedings. Commencing at eight this evening, there will be an informal gathering, taking place in the Grand Hall. When I say informal, I mean that formal attire is expected, but I expect that the selection of wines provided will render the affair fairly informal. All delegates attending the trade summit should be present to make acquaintance, ahead of the official activities to follow."

Edwyn frowned. "Is that really necessary? I'd much rather be…"

Carvain cut him off. "The evening's gathering should be considered mandatory, I'm afraid. The Royal Court of Daggerfall is… eager to see everyone present and make proper effort to extend warm greetings. If the Trade Minister arrives in time, he should also be there. If not, then it will just need to go ahead without him."

Edwyn tried to suppress his expression of mild annoyance. "Very well."

The Consul reiterated his message, with additional detail. "The hour of eight marks the commencement, so try not to be late. If you're not familiar, the Grand Hall is located in the central palace, on the western side of the castle, behind the Daggerfall Throne room. You really should have no trouble finding it. Palace Guards will be providing directions as required."

Edwyn returned a weary nod, resigned to the notion that he'd have little to no say in the matter.

Carvain had one more thing to say. "Since your quarters are located in the southern wing, you'll not need to go far from here. I'll have that guard escort you directly."

Shuffling past Edwyn and Yurma, the Consul opened the door to his office to briefly speak to the Guard who'd brought them to him. A moment later, they were following along behind the Palace Guard, bound for their assigned quarters

~O~


	6. Chapter 6

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 6

Turdas the 1st of Evening Star 4E71 Early Evening

After the brief visit with the Imperial Consul to Daggerfall, Edwyn and Yurma were escorted directly to those quarters that had been provided for the stay. The female Palace Guard remained mostly silent along the way, as she guided them along the corridors. Only from her few terse words, Edwyn took her to be Breton, from her local accent. Even with her armour, she seemed a little too slight to be Nord. Though he supposed that she could have possibly been Colovian or Nibenese, he expected that most of the Royal Palace Guards were more likely to be Daggerfall Bretons or possibly from Camlorn.

Edwyn tried to take note of the path they had taken, but he wasn't perfectly certain that he'd managed to do so. He expected that he'd gain a better recollection of the layout of the relevant parts of Castle Daggerfall over the coming days.

Once she'd finally led them to the appropriate door and opened it for them, the guard advised that the keys to the door could be found inside and then left them there to settle in.

Just inside the guest quarters, Yurma set down the heavy trunk she'd been shouldering since leaving the Glenumbra Heron behind. It landed upon the stone floor with a little more force than she'd likely intended. Her slightly surprised expression said as much.

Though also slightly surprised, Edwyn wasn't too concerned about it. The travelling trunk was of sturdy construction. Most of the content was clothing, so nothing inside was likely to suffer any damage.

Edwyn took a brief moment to look over the place. A few of the candles were already burning, along with a couple of wall mounted oil lamps, providing adequate lighting throughout the front portion of the suite. Though there were no windows to the outside about the walls of that room, Edwyn presumed that it was probably dark outside by that time. Without certainty, he estimated that it was probably still sometime between the hours of five and six.

Though not especially large, the guest suite still seemed relatively spacious. That forward section of the quarters was best described as a sitting room. In the centre, there was a small, but finely finished table with two similarly style chairs. The aforementioned keys to the door were sitting upon that table.

Just nearby to the right, there were two short sofas, dressed with supple leather over minimal padding. A patterned Yokudan rug covered the bare stone between them. It didn't look particularly expensive. It seemed typical of the more common rugs exported from Sentinel, which sold for rather modest pricing. There were some similar ones in his own home.

A writing desk with a chair was set against the wall over on the left. A couple of fairly mediocre looking landscape paintings hung upon that same wall, providing the sense of some sort of effort to accommodate the appearance of satisfactory decoration.

Though not a distinctly separate room, a small bedroom space was sectioned off with standing screens at the rear on that left-hand side of the suite. The only other doorway appeared near the back, toward the right. It was fair to assume that bathroom facilities were located back there.

Yurma broke the silence which transpired as Edwyn surveyed the guest quarters. "I can shift this trunk to your sleeping area."

Edwyn was about to suggest that it wasn't really necessary, but she'd already lifted the trunk again and had started moving toward the back. "Ah… yes. Very well." He paused a moment as she shifted the trunk. "It's somewhat unfortunate that additional quarters could not be provided for you… or perhaps larger quarters."

"Ain't a problem. One of those chairs will suit me just fine. I've managed with worse."

"Yes, very well." Edwyn had no better suggestion.

After a moment, Yurma returned to the forward area of the suite. Unburdening herself of her shield and travel pack, she unhooked her fighting axe and sat down upon a leather couch with a sigh.

Edwyn sat down briefly, but felt slightly restless and soon stood up again. Yurma commented upon the sofas, suggesting that they seemed comfortable enough to her. Edwyn was however torn between the notion of relaxing after the activities of the past hours and the need to prepare himself for that gathering, of which he still held little desire of attending.

Rubbing the mild bristles upon his face, Edwyn headed out to the bathroom facilities to look to washing up and shaving. He'd only just started with that, when a knock came from the outer door to the guest suite. He allowed Yurma to look to firstly dealing with it. It turned out to be someone belonging to the palace staff, coming to advise that meals would be brought by shortly and to make inquiry of whether there might be any special requirements or requests. At Edwyn's shouted instruction, she advised that whatever was on offer, would be perfectly fine.

Having shaved, cleaned up and discarded the more practical attire he'd arrived in, Edwyn changed into fresh clothing. In acknowledgment of his wife's previous insistence, he donned those trousers and velvet-lined lined shoes she'd packed for him. The outfit was completed with his expensive looking long blue coat, featuring the golden yellow trimming and ornate metal buttons.

Yurma looked to Edwyn with a crooked grin. "You pretending to be one of them noble Lords of Wayrest, or something?"

Edwyn frowned, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the heavy coat. "Not at all… though I'll most likely have to engage in pointless conversation with Lords and nobles from various places… and they'll expect me to make an effort to dress somewhat like them. Though without appearing any better dressed than any of them. Not too poorly… and not too expensively. Just enough to demonstrate respect, without trying to outdo any of them. Some of them tend to take offence rather easily."

Yurma made a snorting noise. "Even Orcish children ain't that… that… that childish."

Edwyn shrugged. "Be that as it may, I'll need to accommodate the quirks and sensibilities of those in attendance, in order to expect some pretence of civility in the negotiations to come. It's just how things are done."

Yurma shook her head. "Better you than me. I'll just keep out of the way and try to look like a proper bodyguard."

"Yes well, I'd expect that you should do perfectly well with that."

Yurma frowned slightly, trying to decide if she'd just heard words of praise or a clever insult. A knock from the door interrupted her thoughts. Edwyn was about to head for the door, but Yurma advised that she should attend to it. Of course, it was just the food being delivered.

From the individual delivering the meals, Edwyn learned that it was just coming up on the hour of seven. That meant that he had a little more than an hour to eat and make his way over to the Grand Hall of the castle.

Though Edwyn thought it completely absurd, Yurma wanted to inspect the food that had been delivered, before he started eating. He suggested it highly unlikely that anything from the palace kitchens could be at all suspicious and questioned her ability to determine if anything could be amiss. Yurma conceded that a clever poisoner could come up with something undetectable, but she recognised the odours of several of the really obvious ones.

Of course, she'd noticed nothing amiss with any of it, but still insisted upon starting on her meal first. The only thing that she really managed to achieve, was making Edwyn doubt his own certainty that nobody would be poisoning the meals of guests to the summit.

Once they'd finished with their meals, Edwyn again checked over his attire and general appearance. Since he wasn't planning on carrying around his document satchel that evening, he secured it within the lockable chest he'd found in the bedroom. Yurma gathered up the aftermath of their meals, with the intent of leaving it outside to be collected, so that nobody had any need to look to coming into the suite during their absence.

With all of that attended and the hour of eight approaching, Yurma gathered up her shield and weapons, completing her general appearance as a properly prepared bodyguard. A moment later, they departed the suite, locking the door behind them.

* * *

Leaving their guest quarters, they started off down the corridor headed in the proper direction. Though he thought that he knew the way back to the office of the Imperial Consul, Edwyn remained slightly uncertain of the path beyond that point. However, Yurma seemed perfectly confident that she knew exactly where they were headed.

Along the way, they encounter a servant, who confirmed that they were going in the right direction. Without too much fuss, they managed to make it all the way back to the main entryway near the front of the castle. The guards stationed just inside the doors didn't appear too surprised to hear Edwyn asking for directions to the Grand Hall. By that time, they'd likely heard the same question several times. Since they were not about to leave their posts, no more than verbal directions were offered, but those directions seemed clear and simple enough.

Edwyn and Yurma proceeded along the specified hallway, passing by the main entrance to the throne room, then around to a larger anteroom located just outside the doors to the Grand Hall.

The walls along either side of that space outside the hall were lined with wooden bench seats. From immediate impressions, it was fair to judge that the individuals seated along those walls and the three who remained standing, were obviously the bodyguards of other delegates in attendance.

There was another Orc sitting there at one end. He was a broad shouldered male wearing Nordic styled armour and seemingly keeping his distance from others. A couple of Redguard wearing Yokudan styled armour were also present. One wore the crescent moon crest of Sentinel. The other one seemed less clearly identifiable. A bearded Imperial man in armour of leather and plate wore nothing of note to identify his possible allegiances. Some of the others looked like regional knights of High Rock. At least two of them were obviously Knights of the Flame, as indicated by the prominent insignia, featuring the stylised flame over red and white shield. One of those two remained standing near the wall by himself, keeping his full-faced helmet in place with his visor closed.

What immediately followed, came as no great surprise. Edwyn was advised that his bodyguard needed to remain outside the Grand Hall, waiting with those others. Only Royal Palace Guards were permitted inside. Accordingly, Yurma took to the seating as Edwyn passed through the doors to attend the gathering of delegates ahead of the trade summit.

* * *

Stepping inside the Grand Hall, Edwyn continued forward only a short distance, moving off to one side, away from the entryway behind him. Looking about, he noted a number of individuals of regional nobility and the like slowly moving about the space of the room.

The Royal Palace Guards distributed somewhat evenly about the outer walls stood relatively motionless, almost like part of the decor. He also observed a number of palace servants flitting about with refreshments for the guests in attendance.

Edwyn's attention was quickly drawn toward the large ornate tapestry displayed upon the wall to the left of where he'd come in. He recognised the style of intricate detail in the depiction of two armies clashing below an image of Cyrodiil's White-Gold Tower. The work was unquestionably a Cherim tapestry. Given the exorbitant value of any Cherim original, he expected it was most likely a reproduction, crafted in one of his factories, when the Khajiiti artist was still alive. Of course, even Cherim's reproductions were known to be quite expensive.

Edwyn was distracted from that artwork as a younger Breton lass wearing servant attire approached, providing him with choice of the two wines that she carried upon a large silver platter. Without inquiring of the specifics of what was presented, he graciously accepted a glass of the darker wine.

He still wasn't really of a mood to be mingling with the other delegates. Especially since several of them were of noble cast and most of them were strangers. It was also probably fair to note that of those few, with whom he was readily acquainted, he wouldn't exactly characterise any of them as friends. Perhaps, professional associates at best.

Edwyn took a tentative sip of wine. He couldn't readily identify it as any specific wine or vintage, only that it was a darker red. He found the wine to be pleasant enough, though not especially notable.

Suppressing the urge to sigh, Edwyn accepted that he was expected to be seen there and that he was probably expected to remain there until some sort official announcement or ceremonial address had taken place. He was hoping that it wouldn't be too long until that was under way. With any luck, he hoped that he might find the opportunity to quietly slip away, once all of that was done with.

Over the far side of the room, he noticed the Imperial Consul to Daggerfall speaking with someone of Breton appearance who he didn't immediately recognise. Though he imagined that he might seem somewhat conspicuous standing there on his own, Edwyn still wasn't feeling especially motivated to do anything different. At the least, he was achieving the goal of being seen as present at the gathering.

Even so, it soon seemed clear enough that he might not be able to avoid the intent of others. A slightly elderly Breton wearing an expensive looking dark coat wandered over, obviously headed in Edwyn's direction.

He was not particularly tall and his expensive attire hung upon a relatively slight frame. Though it seemed of a similar cut to Edwyn's long blue coat, the other man's garment looked far more expensive and the colour was much darker and closer to purple. An ornate golden clasp with a large ruby was affixed to his coat over his heart. Possibly the most notable feature of his appearance was his shock of near-white hair, seeming to almost stand up on its own above his head. Presumably, his wiry hair had once been rather fair in colour, before fading far more than it had thinned. At most, he looked perhaps a little past seventy, though not quite as hardy as some. Of course, many moderately wealthy Bretons made it to a hundred or more, but not all.

Pointing to Edwyn with his wineglass, the Breton raised his eyebrows and spoke in a somewhat disarmingly effete tone. "Ah, an unfamiliar face. I'd say that makes you seem far more interesting than some others in attendance."

Edwyn gently tilted his head in acknowledgment. "Edwyn Northwind, of Wayrest's Merchants Guild."

Maintaining eye contact, the Breton nobleman bowed his head just slightly. "Lord of Anticlere, Rodistair Flyte."

Though he'd never actually met him in person before, Edwyn knew precisely who he was. He'd certainly spoken with the Lord's representatives upon occasion, but not Lord Flyte himself. He also knew the general history of the Flyte's holdings. Back before the War of Betony in the late Third Era, that locality had still been known as Reich Gradkeep. At various times, it had been beholden to the rule of either Daggerfall or Camlorn and had even stood independent for a short while. However, since the Miracle of Peace of nearly ninety years before, Anticlere had remained the southernmost coastal holding of the Kingdom of Waywest. Though since it was much nearer to Daggerfall's territories, the Flytes seemingly had more direct dealings with the southern capital than Wayrest. Though he'd never really given it much thought before, Edwyn casually wondered whether that possibly represented a division of loyalty.

Edwyn made a proper show of bowing his head in respect. "Lord Flyte."

Flyte waved his free hand. "No, no. No need for that. After all, these are not at all formal proceedings. Outside of formality, I do much prefer Rodistair."

"As you wish." Edwyn nodded again, though it remained far short of a proper bow.

Pausing only to take a tiny sip from his glass, Lord Flyte resumed. "I'd say, that outside of perhaps just a few, it seems that most everyone here is noble born and related to someone else in some fashion. Yourself being a notable exception, of course." There seemed something of a question in the statement.

Edwyn responded accordingly. "My parents founded Northwind Traders, in Wayrest."

Flyte frowned briefly, then raised his eyebrows. "Ah, yes. Yes, I do believe that I once met your father... many, many years ago. I think he was a Nord, if I recall correctly?"

Edwyn suppressed a grimace. "Yes, Nikulas Northwind. He's been gone for more than twenty years now."

Lord Flyte shook his head, affecting an expression of regret. "So sorry, so sorry. The passing of our fathers may well be inevitable, but a terrible thing, nonetheless."

Without responding verbally, Edwyn tilted his head slightly. He was just thinking how his father did actually make into his eighties, which was quite good for a Nord. Even so, no matter how good or long a life he might have lived, it never seemed truly long enough. Lord Flyte had managed to provoke him to again think of how he still missed his father after the passing of two decades.

Flyte suddenly sparked up again. "Oh, if I do recall correctly... your mother was Altmer. Is that true?"

"Yes, she is."

Flyte gestured oddly with wiggling fingers. "Oh, how delightful. There are some who might find that somewhat decadent, but not myself. I even have a little added merish blood in my own veins, if only a little. Even though your father was Nord, that still makes you Breton... of a sort, I should think."

"Yes, of a sort, I suppose."

Flyte nodded with an agreeable grin. "Some say... some say, that a Breton hardly needs to be born to nobility to achieve greatness. That we come from both man and mer... that sets us apart from others. From your lineage alone, some might suggest that you might be even more Breton than some others."

Edwyn hardly thought of it quite like that. His outward expression merely conveyed a measure of polite agreement. Any other thoughts that he held upon the matter, he chose to keep to himself.

Fidgeting with the golden clasp over his breast, it seemed that Lord Flyte still had far more to say. "For me, you see, my lineage is a relatively simple one, as such things go. Of course, Lord Auberon Flyte was my grandfather. After his unfortunate passing, my grandmother Doranna fully assumed his role in Anticlere. They say that she was of Bosmer nobility, you know. They say other less kind things, but one cannot often hold great stock in cruel rumour."

Pausing only briefly, Flyte waved his hand in a somewhat dismissive fashion. "Of course, Auberon's eldest son was Edwane. In due course, he became Lord of Anticlere, once he came of age. But alas, he perished in the war with the Orcs, along with his son." Flyte paused to shake his head.

Of course, Edwyn understood that he was referring to the sacking of Orsinium, back during the Stormcrown Interregnum. It was Daggerfall and Sentinel that had been the driving force behind all that. As urged by the Queen, most of Wayrest had tried to mostly keep out of active hostilities. However, Anticlere was one of those few holdings choosing to defy the will of Queen Elysana.

Lord Flyte continued. "Edwane's brother, Roddard, my father... he stepped up to rule Anticlere in his stead. In due course, it all fell to me to see to it that a Flyte continued to watch over Anticlere... and of course, to see to it that I leave suitable heirs to serve once my own time is done."

Edwyn returned another polite nod. "Yes, I believe that I'd previously heard some of that." He took a tiny sip of wine, taking care to make the glass last as long as possible.

Lord Flyte waved with his wineglass, indicating the rest of the room. "I expect that I probably know everyone here, or most everyone." He directed Edwyn's attention toward a dark haired Breton, dressed in burgundy. "The Duke of Alcaire, of course. He arrived some short while before yourself. I expect that you've had some dealings with him previously?"

"Yes, we've met once or twice. In matters of trade. In Wayrest."

"Of course, of course. After all, Alcaire does remain part of the Kingdom of Wayrest. Whether the Duke likes it or not."

Without commenting, Edwyn returned a slight frown. Though Alcaire had been one of the many rebellious fiefdoms claiming independent status before the Miracle of Peace, it had remained outwardly loyal to Wayrest for the nearly nine decades since that time. It was actually quite fair to think of Anticlere in much the same way.

Lord Flyte seemed to recognise what Edwyn might be thinking. "I don't mean to suggest that Alcaire is at all disloyal to our Queen. Only that he does tend to look to his own interests... with proper enthusiasm." He noted Edwyn's subtle look of surprise. "I do make it my business to know who is who and what they might be after. Especially at times like this."

Edwyn responded with a suspicious glance. "So, what exactly are you after?"

"Why, what is best for Anticlere, of course. Just as you should look to the best interests of the merchants of Wayrest. As would be much the case with any of your other representatives here for this gathering."

Edwyn certainly understood the logic of the suggestion. His expression indicated that he held no notable argument with it.

Lord Flyte gestured toward another individual. "I expect that gentleman to be from the Wayrest Bankers Guild?"

Edwyn nodded. "Yes, he is. Arnaud Kingsley."

"Related to the Gaeringtons?"

"The Horleys."

"Ah, of course." Flyte took another tiny sip from his glass, then indicated a stern looking Breton woman, dressed rather less elegantly than any other female guest present. Her outfit looked more like what Edwyn was wearing, only it was grey instead of blue and far less expensive in appearance. "From the Mariners Guild, that one?"

Edwyn nodded again. His tone remained somewhat neutral. "Yes, that's Marie Lafont. We've had some dealings back in Wayrest."

Flyte also nodded, but with a more thoughtful expression. "I should think... that without the mariners and their counterparts at port, there would be no great shipping trade between our many lands."

Edwyn didn't feel the need to respond to that comment. Looking about some of the other faces in clear view, he considered another somewhat pertinent question. "Do you know, will the King of Daggerfall be...?"

Lord Flyte shook his head. "Oh no, King Camaron is far too ill to participate in affairs of state these days. He's not been quite the same since the passing of Queen Kelmena, you know. Though King Gothryd the elder was Breton, the King's mother was Redguard... and well, King Camaron has just passed his ninety-ninth birthday. Though I'm certain you won't hear anyone speak of it, I do expect that he has far fewer days ahead, than those behind." Flyte shook his head again. "Prince Gothryd has passed the position of Duke of Camlorn to his younger brother, in order to serve in Daggerfall as Regent."

"I understand."

Lord Flyte directed attention toward an elegantly attired Breton woman over the far side of the room. "Yes well, I suspect that the Prince's younger sister might be somewhat less understanding. I expect that Lady Glenpoint would much prefer to be the Duchess of Camlorn."

From immediate appearance, she seemed probably near to Edwyn's age. At a glance, there was little outward indication that her grandmother had been Redguard royalty. It seemed that her Breton heritage was far more evident.

Again fidgeting with the golden clasp over his breast and tapping at it with an ornate ring upon his finger, Lord Flyte spoke once more. "Well, look at that. The Duke of Alcaire and the Countess of Menevia look to be having an interesting discourse. I do wonder how long it might be, before the facade of courtly civility falls away. I understand that they do not like one another at all."

"So, I'd heard." Edwyn was also aware of the rivalry between those two houses.

"Myself, I do find it far better to try to maintain civil relations with others, even those who might lean toward more provocative viewpoints from time to time. After all, one can never have too many friends. Even those who only prove to be fair-weather friends." Flyte chuckled mildly, finding wit in his own comment.

"I cannot disagree." Edwyn tried to maintain a polite tone, though he was beginning to weary of Lord Flyte's penchant for mischief and gossip.

Looking away toward the left, Edwyn noticed a tall Redguard man wearing traditional Yokudan styled attire, speaking with another Redguard man of more average stature. He could tell that the slightly shorter man must have been from Sentinel. The crescent moon crest insignia embroidered upon his cloak made that quite obvious. The origin of the taller man remained rather less obvious.

Lord Flyte had followed Edwyn's gaze and evidently decided that he might hold some idea of what he might be thinking. "That taller man is Qasim, representing the Prince of Stros M'Kai. The other one is Trade Minister Harim of Sentinel. He's relatively new to the position, as I understand it."

Without looking back to Flyte, Edwyn nodded his acknowledgment. Though he thought that he already knew the answer, he sought confirmation of certain detail. "King Greklith is not coming from Sentinel?"

Flyte was again fidgeting with his clasp. "Oh no, I shouldn't think that such a thing was even likely. His Trade Minister will be representing his King's interests at the summit."

Though it seemed quite unnecessary, Edwyn half expected to be hearing further detail of Sentinel's royal family. Of course, he already knew well enough of the contentious connections between the royal houses of both Daggerfall and Sentinel.

Regent Gothryd's grandmother had been the Princess Aubk-i of Sentinel, before she became Queen consort of Daggerfall. Though politically advantageous, in the interests of peaceful relations, it seemed that neither side of the bay had really been quite so pleased about it at the time.

It had been Aubk-i's influence that saw her firstborn son named in honour of her lost father, Camaron. From that, a King of Daggerfall would come to have the same name as a former King of Sentinel.

Of course, King Greklith of Sentinel had been named after his father's deceased older brother, who'd died from plague before ascending to rule.

When his sister was still Daggerfall's Queen, it was Sentinel's King Lhotun who had joined with Daggerfall for the sacking of Orsinium during the Stormcrown Interregnum. Though his father had now been gone for thirty years, King Greklith continued to maintain his father's great antipathy for Orcs.

As Edwyn understood it, Lhotun's greater motivation back then had far more to do with trying to firm up his problematic position as he struggled to straddle both the conflicting Redguard factions. Waging warfare upon Orcs seemed the one thing that both the Crowns and the Forebears could actually agree upon. If not for that, the Lhotunic movement of his rule might not have endured long enough to pass to Greklith. Though the blood heritage between Sentinel and Daggerfall might have thinned over time, their shared hostility toward the Orcs of the region remained a common interest.

Edwyn suppressed a little sigh. He had just managed to thoroughly annoy himself with his own recollections. Though he still remained just slightly grateful that he didn't need to listen to Flyte recounting all of those details and possibly more.

From his periphery, Edwyn noted a familiar individual headed toward him. He held vague hope that he was actually coming to speak with Lord Flyte instead.

Arnaud Kingsley of Wayrest's Bankers Guild was hardly a friend. At best, he was an acquaintance. Though he tended to remain civil, Edwyn recognised that the other man generally thought of him as an upstart commoner.

Taking the unavoidable gaze of the banker standing in front of him, Edwyn responded in neutral tone. "Kingsley."

"Northwind. Lord Flyte." Kingsley's greeting managed to deliver contrasting tone, clearly in favour of Flyte, offering a subtle bow to the Lord of Anticlere.

Lord Flyte waved his free hand in gesture. "Please, please, I do prefer that you call me Rodistair at informal affairs such as this. You must be Arnaud… Kingsley?"

Kingsley cleared his throat, affecting a smile. "Yes, that's right, Lord… Rodistair."

Flyte seemed oddly pleased to hear someone using his given name.

Kingsley waved a hand back toward the far side of the room. "I just heard from the Imperial Consul that the Emperor's Trade Minister has still not arrived. He suggested that they're delaying the proceedings a little longer, hoping that he'll be here any moment."

Edwyn couldn't help, but release a little sigh.

Again fidgeting with his golden clasp, Lord Flyte shook his head subtly. "Well, that is a little disappointing, I suppose. If nothing else, it provides us more time to enjoy the wine and pleasant company."

~O~


	7. Chapter 7

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 7

Turdas the 1st of Evening Star 4E71 Evening

As Edwyn Northwind stood with Arnaud Kingsley and Lord Flyte, the main doors of the Grand Hall opened briefly behind them and an Imperial man of rather ordinary appearance stepped inside. The new arrival paused a moment to look around, then headed directly for the far side of the room. At a glance, he appeared to be dressed rather less elegantly than most of those present at the gathering. It wasn't as though he was poorly attired, only that he didn't seem like a typical noble.

Lord Flyte felt prompted to offer some comment. "I cannot say that I recognise that Imperial man at all. Perhaps, he might well be the Emperor's Trade Minister, or perhaps his aide." Only from his behaviour, the man seemed more like a guest than a messenger.

Edwyn held no opinion either way.

Kingsley offered his own observations. "From appearances alone, I'd think that he hardly looks the part of an Imperial Minister."

Lord Flyte waved his hand. "Perhaps not. However, it does seem that he has gone directly to speak with Consul Carvain, whoever he might be."

Edwyn noted that the man did seem to know the Imperial Consul to Daggerfall. Aside from both men being Imperials and seemingly known to one another, he remained unconvinced that he was the Trade Minister that everyone was waiting for.

Kingsley looked back to Flyte, taking a sip from his glass. "I suppose that we'll find out soon enough."

"Yes, I suppose so." The Lord of Anticlere took a tiny sip from his own glass. He looked to Kingsley with an expression of idle curiosity. "So, Arnaud, I understand that you're related to the Horleys of Wayrest, is that so?"

Kingsley responded with a broad grin. "Yes, quite so. On my mother's side. One of my cousins currently holds a prominent position with Horley College."

"Oh, how remarkable." Flyte seemed to be taking note of Kingsley's appearance, noting that his ears seemed slightly more pointed than a typical Breton, much like his own and Edwyn's. "Tell me, if I may be so bold to inquire, is it possible that you have just a little added merish blood in your lineage?"

Kingsley returned an eager nod, evidently quite pleased with the opportunity to speak on the matter. "Well yes, as a matter of fact. How astute of you to notice. One of my forebears, on my grandfather's side was of the Direnni Clan of Balfiera."

"Oh, how simply marvellous." Flyte smiled broadly, fidgeting with the golden clasp on his coat. "There's just a little of Bosmeri royalty in my own heritage, you know?"

"Yes, I'd heard that." Kingsley reflected Flyte's beaming expression.

Flyte glanced toward Edwyn, then back toward Kingsley. "And Edwyn here also has some added merish blood, directly from his Altmer mother, no less."

Kingsley responded with a pleasant glance in Edwyn's direction, though it seemed likely that it was more for the Lord's benefit, than an honest expression of approval. Since Kingsley was already perfectly aware of Edwyn's parentage, he hardly expected any sudden shift in attitude to be a lasting one.

Lord Flyte seemed quite pleased with himself, as he looked back and forth between the other two. "I should think… that each of us represent something special, with regard to what provides Bretons of all stripes with the potential of greatness. I was just saying to Edwyn only a little earlier, that because we Bretons all come from both man and mer... well, that readily sets us apart from others."

"Quite right, quite right." Kingsley appeared notably eager to agree.

Edwyn merely responded with a polite nod, not feeling the need to encourage further discussion in that direction.

Looking to Kingsley, Flyte frowned lightly, then raised his eyebrows. "Tell me Arnaud, just what might the bankers of Wayrest be hoping to achieve during this coming summit?"

Kingsley nodded as he finished a sip of wine. "Yes well, I suppose that remains to be seen. As you should know, we currently have notable banking interests throughout much of the important parts of the Kingdom of Wayrest."

Flyte affected a wide-eyed agreeable expression. "Oh yes. I should say that the office of the Merchant Bank in Anticlere serves as a wonderful complimentary establishment, standing side by side with my family's own Bank of Anticlere."

Kingsley looked slightly smug. "I'm so very glad that you think so. The Merchant Bank does maintain rather close ties with the Royal Treasury, our grandest Bank of Wayrest. So by extension, I should hope that you find that regional office in Anticlere well placed to service the needs of your fine city."

"Oh yes, oh yes. Very much so. The security of investment for Anticlere's shipping interests has been most helpful. Most helpful indeed. Did you know, we are planning to soon add another large cargo vessel to our merchant fleet? Additionally, we may also possibly need to replace one of our smaller vessels, nearing the end of its time."

Kingsley raised his eyebrows slightly. "That does sound like things are going well."

"Oh yes. Well enough, I should think. Of course, one must spend money to make money. I imagine that I shouldn't need to tell you that." Flyte uttered an abbreviated chortle.

Kingsley responded with a somewhat forced chuckle of his own. "Oh no, not at all, Lord… Rodistair. I do understand completely."

"Of course, the fortunes of Anticlere's trade interests do still have much in common with the merchants of Wayrest." Flyte passed a glance in Edwyn's direction.

Edwyn inclined his head, responding with a small smile.

Flyte seemed to notice that Kingsley hadn't really answered with original query. "I do still wonder though… of just what Wayrest's banking interests might have to offer those similar interests in Daggerfall."

Kingsley's expression sobered somewhat. "Yes well, the Bank of Daggerfall has not proved quite so… so open… to fresh ideas in the past. I am certainly hoping to negotiate something, but I cannot say whether to expect any notable success." He paused. "Of course, I'd rather like to see Daggerfall allowing some lesser banking institutions to have small offices in the region. Perhaps like that regional office of the Merchant Bank in Anticlere. However, the Bank of Daggerfall has been most reluctant to permit anything of the kind, thus far."

Lord Flyte shrugged mildly. "One can only try. The broad Empire spread across Tamriel was not built in just one day."

"Too true, too true." Kingsley nodded agreeably, then took another sip of wine.

Edwyn held his tongue, thinking it might sound impertinent to mention that four of the nine provinces were no longer part of their broad Empire, and another province seemed barely half of once it had once been.

Flyte raised his head slightly, looking across the room. "Whoever that Imperial man might have been, he doesn't seem to have influenced pressing the matters at hand forward at all. Though it seems that Consul Carvain has now disappeared from view, for some reason."

Both Edwyn and Kingsley looked in the same direction, observing that the Consul had indeed seemingly gone off somewhere, since he didn't seem to be anywhere in sight.

Kingsley noted something else. "It seems that the Countess of Menevia might be headed over this way."

Flyte again fidgeted with his clasp. "I do hope that her conversation with the Duke of Alcaire has not soured her mood at all."

Kingsley's expression conveyed that he knew exactly what the Lord was suggesting.

It quickly became apparent that the Countess was indeed headed for their small group, though not which one of them might have drawn her attention.

Of course, it was Lord Flyte who spoke up first, once she drew near. "Countess, how delightful." His broad smile almost seemed almost more comical than genuine.

The Countess of Menevia returned a rather more restrained smile, nodding to the Lord. "Rodistair." She then looked to the other two. "Arnaud and… ah… Edwyn."

Both men responded in kind, though with just enough measure of formality to avoid unintended offence.

The Countess of Menevia stood slightly shorter than Lord Flyte, though her bundled hair rose up even higher than Flyte's wiry shock of white hair. Though easily younger than any of those three men, she was old enough that her eldest son had reached his twenties. Though not unattractive, the Countess seemed hardly of such an appearance as to turn heads, were it not for her manner of dress and adornment.

Addressing the Countess, Lord Flyte waved his free hand about in no direction in particular. "I do hope that you've found the company at this little gathering to be favourably pleasant."

The Countess firstly finished taking a small sip from her wineglass. "As pleasant as one can expect, I should think. Some company proves more favourable, some less so. As always, one can rarely find disfavour in the company of the Lord of Anticlere."

"Oh please, my dear Countess. Should my wife ever hear of such flattery, I might never again be permitted to travel beyond the gates of my own home. Such a thing… might hardly be favourable for anyone. Least of all, myself." He finished with a little chuckle.

The Countess responded with a little laugh of her own. Kingsley made a point of quickly joining in. Edwyn only returned an amused smile, briefly considering the volume of wine remaining in his glass.

Flyte resumed. "Tell me Countess, have you heard anything of the arrival of the Emperor's Trade Minister? Perhaps something from the Imperial Consul or some other?"

The Countess shook her head subtly. "No, not as such. Only some passing mention of the delay. They say that the Minister's transport seems to have been delayed."

"Most disappointing." Flyte took another sip of wine.

The Countess waved a hand back in the direction behind her. "I did just have a lovely conversation with ah… Qasim, a representative from the court of Stros M'Kai."

Flyte responded with a mischievous expression. "Oh, really? That taller Redguard wearing traditional Yokudan styled attire?"

The Countess nodded. "Yes, such a charming man... and so polite. He did take the time to tell me all about his Prince's fondness of High Rock teas. Though it passes that the Prince occasionally favours Camlorn Mint Tea, along with the others of his court, he's also very partial to several Menevian tea blends."

"Oh, how delightful." Lord Flyte beamed another broad grin.

The Countess flickered a fleeting glance in Edwyn's direction. It was fair to presume that she was fully aware that was he was representing Gavaudon's tea exports.

Kingsley added something. "I'd heard from Sentinel's Trade Minister that vessels from Stros M'Kai have been doing quite a bit of business with Senchal in recent times."

The Countess nodded. "Yes, Qasim made mention of it."

Kingsley maintained a smile, below a thoughtful brow. "Dealing with the Khajiit can be troublesome, but I suppose if the profit outweighs the danger…"

Flyte weighed in. "Though I suppose that I can recognise the allure, we tend to have Anticlere's merchant vessels steer clear of Elsweyr's Quin'rawl Peninsular. As I understand it, the Empire does most trading business via Khajiit of the Kingdom of Rimmen."

Without commenting, Edwyn thought much the same. Aside from Rimmen, most of the other independent Kingdoms of Elsweyr had remained far too chaotic over the past few decades the purposes of trade. The Emperor had tried to maintain some manner of limited trade treaties with Riverhold and Dune in the north, but both of those Kingdoms remained fiercely independent of any other Imperial influence. Only independent merchants and Khajiiti trade caravans handled any flow of product to and from those locations. With the pacification of Elsweyr an unlikely goal in the near future, he imagined that Emperor Attrebus only tried to encourage that ongoing trade activity as a means of keeping those somewhat friendly Khajiit Kingdoms serving as a buffer of sorts between the Empire and Aldmeri Dominion.

Noting a subtle glance from Lord Flyte, Edwyn realised that he hadn't really been listening to what the other three had been discussing. He only caught something about the perceived value of imported Khajiiti rugs, versus those of Yokudan style from Redguard artisans. He merely nodded with a small smile, as though he agreed with what had been said.

Flyte looked back across the room, looking just slightly impatient. "I do hope that the more official aspects of this gathering are not going to be delayed too much longer. I expect that my bodyguard might begin to fret if I don't come back out before the passing of midnight."

Kingsley looked to Flyte. "I'd heard that you have one of the famed Knights of the Flame with you."

Lord Flyte waved his hand about. "Oh yes, Sir Dalric stands as one of the most accomplished of his order. Sworn to my personal service, you know?"

The Countess made a gentle point. "I understand that the Duke of Alcaire also brought a Knight of the Flame along with him."

Flyte shrugged mildly. "Of course, the Knights of the Flame did firstly arise from the old Alcaire Knights… in honour of Sir Byric. Though they primarily serve in Anticlere, some Knights of their order do still offer service in Alcaire. During times of peace, of course, such as we currently enjoy under the rule of our Queen in Wayrest."

If only to suggest that she'd not come to Daggerfall without suitable protection, the Countess weighed in. "I have an Imperial man in my employ. A former Legion Battlemage and current member of my Castle's Royal Guard."

Flyte inclined his head in approval.

Kingsley wasn't about to remain silent. "Though competent enough, my own protection is rather more mundane. One of our people who normally provides security service for the Bankers Guild." He passed Edwyn a sideways glance. "I understand that Edwyn here brought an Orc along to the summit."

Lord Flyte raised his eyebrows. "Oh, how interesting."

Edwyn shrugged. "I didn't really see the need for a bodyguard, but my associates in my Guild thought otherwise."

Flyte fidgeted with his clasp. "I understand that they do make tenacious bodyguards, but sending an Orc to Daggerfall… how delightfully mischievous."

Edwyn tried to maintain his composure. "She's Fighters Guild. She's actually the niece of a former Guild Master… the one over in Chorrol."

"She's from Cyrodiil?" The Countess sought clarity.

"Well, no. She's actually from the Orsinium Protectorate area. From one of the civilised townships. She serves with Wayrest's Fighter Guild."

Neither the Countess nor Kingsley seemed to find much favour with what they heard.

Flyte had been frowning, but it appeared it was more because he was seemingly trying to remember something. "Oh, oh… that Guild Master. Do you mean that Orc who used to run the Fighters Guild in Cyrodiil for about two decades? The one whose brothers were said to have participated in Titus Mede's rise to Emperor?"

Edwyn nodded. "Yes, that sounds right. Karl gro-Baroth."

Flyte nodded in an animated fashion. "Yes, yes, I'd heard of him. I'd heard… I had heard that he held the favour of both Emperor Attrebus and his father before him."

Edwyn nodded again. "Yes, I'd heard something like that."

Flyte raised his eyebrows, affecting an odd expression. "Quite an unusual name for an Orc, don't you think."

Edwyn shrugged again. "I think that it had something to do with a Nord. I don't really know the full story."

Lord Flyte bobbed his head side to side. "I suppose that might make some sort of sense. I hear that Orcs do have some strange customs." His attention was suddenly drawn elsewhere. "Oh, look at that. Prince Gothryd has finally joined us… and it seems that he has Consul Carvain at his side. Perhaps, something is about to happen."

Politely excusing herself, the Countess of Menevia departed to go off to speak with the Lady Glenpoint. Edwyn felt no pressing urge to shift from where he stood. In part, that was because he was not so far from the entryway to the Grand Hall. That meant that he didn't have far to go, when the opportunity arose to depart. For whatever reason, Lord Flyte seemed inclined to remain in Edwyn's company. Edwyn quietly wondered if it was merely because Flyte held some preference for company of anyone who was not of the nobility. It seemed obvious enough that Kingsley had remained near to Lord Flyte for the exact opposite of reason.

After the passing of just a short moment, Prince Gothryd and the Consul settled upon a position near the far wall. Royal Guards started to gently persuade guests to step back a little, creating a clear space immediately about the pair.

Lord Flyte seemed outwardly pleased that something was happening. "It does seem that Gothryd is about to speak, I should think."

Without commenting directly, Kingsley nodded his agreement, then took another sip from his glass.

Edwyn remained quiet, only adjusting his gaze toward the Prince and the Consul in anticipation. He'd grown quite weary of waiting about and was hoping that they wouldn't be too verbose with their addresses. He was also hoping that he wouldn't need to wait around for too long afterward.

After just a few moments, Gothryd raised his hands, calling the room to quiet, then waited a further lengthy moment for the murmurs to fall away. "For those I've not directly encountered before… I serve as your host, Prince Gothryd of Daggerfall. At this time, I stand as Regent, on behalf of my father, the King. Though sadly unable to attend at this time, King Camaron wishes to extend his warm greetings to all delegates travelling to our fine city to participate in the trade summit."

A polite applause filled the room as Gothryd paused momentarily. Edwyn found it slightly amusing at how adept the nobility were at patting the backs of their hands without spilling a drop of wine. Without making much noise, he managed to emulate the method.

"In the spirit of accord with the desires of our Emperor, the Royal Court of Daggerfall sincerely hopes… that this endeavour will prove to be as successful and as fruitful as our Emperor Attrebus would desire… and that all those here… will find favourable outcomes."

Again, further applause followed an extended pause. Edwyn's eyes narrowed just slightly. Though the tone of the Regent's words seemed sincere enough, he thought that it seemed a terribly awkwardly worded address.

Waving the guests toward quiet again, Gothryd indicated the Imperial official at his side, before stepping back a little. "The Imperial Consul to Daggerfall, Quintus Carvain."

The Consul nodded to Gothryd, then turned to address the room. "Thankyou, Prince Regent Gothryd." The Consul looked slightly nervous and ill prepared. "As many of you might already be thinking, despite best expectation, the Emperor's Trade Minister has not yet arrived from the Imperial City. We do hope that he will arrive here shortly, perhaps even this evening... and provided that the Minister is here, we are still intending to commence discussions tomorrow afternoon. However in his absence this evening, I will offer to speak on his behalf, offering welcome and thanks to each of you who have travelled here to participate in this trade summit."

As he paused for a long moment, another round of polite applause passed.

Carvain soon resumed, proceeding to expand further upon his welcome to the participants present, by recognising several by name. Pausing between each one, he went on to make a specific mention of each of the titled nobility and Ministers in attendance at the gathering. Reading from a list in an almost monotonous fashion, the Consul only very briefly mentioned the names of others from the various Guilds and other bodies. Kingsley seemed somewhat miffed that his name was not included in the first category.

At some point, Edwyn must have tuned out the drone of the Consul's voice. He only realised that he'd finished, because an extended round of applause was under way. He made an effort to join in, without spilling what remained in his wineglass.

It seemed that the formal matter of a welcoming address had finally concluded and Consul Carvain indicated that everyone should return to mingling. Edwyn turned slightly and cast a tentative glance toward the doors. When he looked back with the thought of making a polite excuse to take his leave of Lord Flyte, he noted that two Redguard men had suddenly decided to join their group. Of course it was Qasim of Stros M'Kai and Trade Minister Harim of Sentinel.

After informal introductions were exchanged, Edwyn had to listen to each of them speak of the virtues of the rug artisans of either city. Evidently, both of them felt the need to try to outdo the other, thinking that a representative of Wayrest's Merchants Guild would be swayed toward favouring one of them over the other. Given that he was beginning to feel quite tired, he would have much preferred that they waited until the trade discussions were officially under way.

Eventually, both Redguard had decided that they'd said enough and politely excused themselves to move onto speaking with someone else.

Lord Flyte commented. "They do seem to be eager to find favour with you."

Edwyn merely returned an amiable expression.

Even though there would likely be no reason for it, Kingsley appeared slightly put out that neither Redguard seemed even slightly interested in the banks of Wayrest.

"Oh, how terrible. I seem to have finished my wine. I really shouldn't have too much this evening, but it would seem quite improper to be seen at such a gathering without a charged glass at hand." Lord Flyte glanced about the crowd, then waved his empty glass to attract the attention of one of the palace servants.

He soon managed to acquire another glass of red wine. Kingsley's glass was still half full and Edwyn politely declined another, though his glass was near to empty. He was again contemplating taking his leave of the Grand Hall.

After taking a sip of wine, Lord Flyte suddenly made an odd choking noise. "Oh… oh my…" He made another choking sound as he dropped his wineglass and it fell to the floor, shattering with a splash of red.

Edwyn reacted just quickly enough to manage to catch Flyte as he began to slump toward the stone floor. A little more slowly, Kingsley moved to assist. They gently eased him back, away from where the glass had shattered.

A few exclamations of surprise could be heard from about the room. Some of the nearby guests stepped back a little. Some merely remained where they stood, with expressions of shock, looking toward where Lord Flyte was lying upon the floor. Aside from keeping him from falling and hurting himself, neither Edwyn nor Kingsley appeared to know exactly what to do next. There was a further disturbance as someone push past some stunned onlookers.

"Bloody Divines. To one side." The gruff command came from Marie Lafont, the representative from the Mariner's Guild.

Edwyn and Kingsley both clumsily shifted aside to make way.

Lafont mumbled under her breath as she kneeled down to examine Lord Flyte, then outstretched both her hands above him. Tendrils of eldritch light gathered about her forearms, creeping toward the formation of bright balls of healing magic in the palms of her hands. At her command, the healing magic radiated and washed over Flyte's prone form.

Looking over Lord Flyte, the Breton woman frowned. "He's alive, but not in good shape. I don't know what's wrong with him." She cast quick glances to both Edwyn and Kingsley.

Kingsley shook his head, without speaking.

Edwyn was thinking of the glass that fell upon the floor. "He may have choked on the wine… or perhaps… it was the wine?"

Consul Carvain suddenly appeared, standing over them. "Someone has gone for a palace healer. Is Lord Flyte…?"

Lafont responded with a grim expression. "Alive… but I hope that healer's not too far off." With a determined look, she cast a second healing spell over the Lord of Anticlere.

~O~


	8. Chapter 8

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 8

Turdas the 1st of Evening Star 4E71 Late Evening

As the Lord of Anticlere was lying prone upon the floor, some of the Royal Guards about Castle Daggerfall's Grand Hall had cleared a larger space about that scene. Most of the other guards kept well back, watching over the room. Those guards standing vigil by the doors held to their positions.

Marie Lafont only shuffled aside from trying to help Lord Flyte, once that palace healer had arrived to tend to him. The healer quickly queried the Breton woman as he commenced examining the unresponsive Flyte. If he'd made any immediate determination, he certainly kept it to himself. His expression of concern communicated nothing specific. After casting some sort of additional healing magic, the healer called two guards over, instructing them to the carry Lord Flyte away to his facilities for treatment.

Unable to make any kind of difference, both Edwyn and Kingsley remained standing just nearby. After stepping away from the healer to allow him unhindered space to tend to Lord Flyte, Lafont had retreated to stand near those other two.

During all of that, mutterings of various opinions and speculations were heard coming from several sources among those of the agitated crowd.

"Does anyone know what's happened?"

"That's Lord Flyte, isn't it?"

"I was speaking with him only a short while before."

"Lord of Anticlere."

"Perhaps, it's his heart."

"He doesn't look well at all."

"I thought Lord Flyte wasn't that old."

"Could just be too much wine."

"He's not so old, by Breton standards."

"Did someone mention the wine?"

"What if he was poisoned?"

"I heard the Lord of Anticlere was a bit of old lush."

"What if the wine was poisoned?"

"Nonsense, we've all been drinking the wine."

"He's the only one…"

"Didn't Flyte's grandfather die from some sort of plague?"

"Argonian plague of some kind, I'd heard."

"What if Flyte is infected with disease?

"Ridiculous."

"Too much wine."

Since Prince Regent Gothryd seemed nowhere to be seen at that time, Consul Carvain recognised the need to take charge of things. Shifting to the space where Lord Flyte had fallen and then since been spirited away from, he called out. "Please, please, may I take your attention?"

The Consul waved his arms about, trying to coerce the restless crowd to quiet. "Lord Flyte is in good hands. Be assured that the healer will do everything possible to see that he recovers from whatever affliction has befallen him."

Some murmur persisted about the restless crowd. Some suggested that it might all turn out to be nothing of great concern. Some others still seemed rather more disturbed and there were still a few utterances of concern over the suspicions about the wine.

Glancing toward the Royal Guards standing vigil by the main doors leading from the Grand Hall, Consul Carvain spoke up again. "We can all be quite assured that the cause of Lord Flyte's condition would not be due to anything here in the Grand Hall."

The volume of murmurs again rose, with some utterances of concerned disquiet to be heard coming from certain individuals in the crowd. After a fashion, it seemed that the voices of those with unfounded fears seemed to quickly influence the minds of those previously less concerned.

Observing that at least some of those guests in view didn't appear quite so well assured, Consul Carvain seemed to have decided upon a different path. Raising his hands again, trying to gain attention, he raised his voice above others. "Perhaps… perhaps in light of circumstances… and the hour… it might well be a good time to allow our gathering here to draw to a close."

The response to Carvain's suggestion still seemed somewhat mixed. "Rest assured that everyone will be contacted on the morrow, with details of what is planned for the trade summit. Everyone will be notified ahead of time."

Though few seemed outwardly pleased, some general sounds of acceptance stood out from the gathered delegates and guests. A few seemed glad to be leaving. Some others seemed annoyed to have the evening's activities curtailed, but otherwise compliant.

Already looking concerned, Kingsley affected an even more bothered expression as he looked to Edwyn and Lafont. "I do hope that Lord Flyte is going to recover."

Edywn nodded. "Yes, I hope so." He was not used to seeing Kingsley behave in such a manner. He was more accustomed to observing the man's general affectation of snobbery and self-importance.

Lafont weighed in with a serious expression. "I'm no expert healer or the like, but Lord Flyte really didn't seem good at all. Y'know it could've been a poison or something… or not… I don't really know, but I would've thought my healing spells should've made some difference."

"You did your best." Edwyn tried to sound reassuring.

Kingsley added his voice. "Yes, yes… your efforts were most timely. If only I'd made the effort to previously develop such useful skills." He shook his head.

Lafont shrugged, without offering verbal response.

Edwyn spoke again. "We each have our limitations. Marie's efforts were helpful, but it's all out of our hands now… and in the hands of the healer, and perhaps the Divines."

With a number of guests making their way toward the doors, Edwyn cast his gaze in that direction, then looked back to Kingsley and Lafont. Palace servants had appeared, flitting about and accepting wineglasses for collection. A servant was already looking to pick up the remains of the broken glass upon the floor.

Edwyn looked for an opportunity to hand his glass to someone, but none were passing near enough at that moment. "I'd say that's it for this evening. We'd best look to heading back to our respective quarters."

Lafont's expression conveyed her agreement.

Kingsley still appeared ill at ease. "I'm not sure that I'll sleep so easily tonight."

A servant finally passed by close enough to take their wineglasses.

Edwyn turned his head again, looking to see how difficult it was likely to be to join the throng passing through the doors. He found that a pair of Royal Guards had shifted to stand directly in his path.

"If I may have moment of your time?" The male voice came from behind.

Edwyn turned back to observe an Imperial man addressing him. He looked to be that same individual who had arrived a little later than everybody else, and had then gone to speak with Consul Carvain. The stranger's attention shifted between Edwyn, Kingsley and Lafont.

"Inspector Marcus Attius with the Imperial Garrison in Daggerfall."

Kingsley raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Inspector? You're with the Penitus Oculatus?"

The Inspector nodded mildly. "Yes, assigned to the Imperial military presence in this city." He again subtly shifted his eyes across each of those three in turn, lastly settling upon Kingsley. "You're… Kingsley… from Wayrest?"

"Yes, yes… that's right. Arnaud Kingsley of Wayrest's Bankers Guild."

The Inspector looked to the Breton woman.

"Marie Lafont, Mariners Guild."

"From Wayrest?"

"That's right." Lafont nodded.

"And you're with the Merchants Guild?"

"Yes, Edwyn Northwind, Wayrest Merchants Guild."

"I see." The Inspector maintained a neutral tone and expression. "Can you tell me what you saw… with regard to the Lord of Anticlere?" His eyes settled upon Kingsley again.

Kingsley appeared nervous. "Well, I'm not at all certain. Lord Flyte suddenly fell ill."

Edwyn spoke up. "He seemed to make a choking sound, then started to collapse. I only just barely managed to keep him from falling. With Kingsley's assistance."

The Inspector turned his gaze to Lafont.

"I didn't see anything. Not until Lord Flyte was on the ground." She shrugged. "Since no one was acting, I rushed over to administer healing magic. I'm not a proper healer, but I know a little."

"I understand." The Inspector appeared thoughtful, without really betraying what he might be thinking. "Each of you are from Wayrest. May I assume that you know one another?"

Edwyn responded first. "I believe that we've each had dealings, in a professional capacity." He wasn't sure how well Kingsley and Lafont were acquainted.

Both of the other two indicated their agreement with the statement.

Inspector Attius posed an open question. "And Lord Flyte?"

Lafont answered with a shrug. "I'd not met him before earlier this evening."

Kingsley shook his head. "Oh no, I've certainly had dealings with his representatives before, but I'd not met Lord Flyte until tonight."

Edwyn didn't wait to be further prompted. "Much the same. I'd not met him before."

The Inspector's eyes fell upon both Edwyn and Kingsley in turn. "I noticed that Lord Flyte seemed to have remained with both of you since I came in."

Edwyn shrugged. "From what I gathered, Lord Flyte seemed most interested in the company of people he didn't already know… and he seemed to already know most of the others here. So… he seemed to have taken a liking to myself… and to Kingsley. I think that he took us to be… to be a fresh audience. He does like to talk."

Inspector Attius nodded slightly. "I see. Well hopefully, Lord Flyte will quickly recover from whatever ails him."

"I certainly hope so. Terrible business." Kingsley still sounded flustered.

The Inspector seemed to be generally satisfied with what he'd heard. "I take it that each of you have guest quarters here in the castle?"

Each of them indicated in the affirmative.

"I'd firmly recommend that each of you head straight back to your assigned quarters for the evening. In fact, for your safety, I'll have these Royal Guards escort you directly. I may have further questions, if the need arises."

Edwyn nodded with a sigh.

At the Inspector's instruction, a Royal Guard took position at Lafont's side and the other one attended Kingsley. Another guard was waved over and given instructions to escort Edwyn back to his guest suite.

By that time, the very last of the guests were just leaving through the doors. Kingsley and Lafont were already on their way before Edwyn had his escort at his side.

Edwyn glanced to the Royal Guard. "I'll need to collect my bodyguard. She should be waiting for me outside." The expressionless guard said nothing, merely indicating the direction of the doors.

* * *

Just outside, in that anteroom located beyond those doors of the Grand Hall, all of the other bodyguards had already departed. Kingsley was just disappearing around the corner at the far end, in the company of his own bodyguard and that Royal Guard. Edwyn's Orcish bodyguard was the only one still waiting out there.

Yurma looked to Edwyn with a serious expression. She'd noted the Royal Guard keeping close to him, but chose to speak up anyway. "What's going on? I saw some old man carried away by guards. You're all right?"

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. Somebody collapsed and needed to be taken away with a healer."

"Collapsed? Heard people talking about some Lord."

"It's something of a long story." Edwyn observed that the Royal Guard seemed somewhat impatient with the delay. "This ah… this guard has been told to escort us back to the quest quarters."

"I know the way." Yurma frowned.

"I don't think the guard is optional."

Yurma released an exasperated sigh and fell into position at his side.

Edwyn glanced toward the guard with a nod. Without speaking, the guard again indicated the direction they should be headed.

Since Yurma seemed to know exactly where they were going, she was soon leading the way along the corridors. Edwyn followed just closely behind her and the Royal Guard marched along at the rear.

Since everybody else seemed to have moved along ahead of them, headed for their respective rooms, they encountered no one along the way, but for a few servants on the move and other guards of the castle. Busy with their respective duties, none of them spoke. Of course, that guard escorting them seemed disinclined to speak at all.

Only about every second wall lamp along the corridors remained alight, making things look a little different from before. Presumably, that circumstance was normal for later in the evening. It did mean that there seemed to be more shadows than earlier, but there still appeared to be plenty of light to see where they were going.

Soon enough, Edwyn and Yurma were back at the door to the guest suite. Once Edwyn had unlocked the door and they were inside, the Royal Guard left them there.

* * *

As soon as they were inside the guest quarters, Edwyn released a heavy sigh. "You should probably make sure that the door is locked." The oil lamps were still burning in the guest suite, illuminating the room well enough.

Yurma was already attending to the door as he'd spoken. She turned back to him with a serious glare. "So, what happened back there?"

Edwyn returned a weary expression. "It is a long story."

"I'm supposed to be protecting you. If there's a big problem… then I should know all about it."

Edwyn sighed again, suppressing the urge to yawn. "I'm in no danger. As least as far as I know. It all seems a lot of fuss over what might turn out to be nothing at all. Well, except for Lord Flyte, of course."

Yurma folded her arms. She seemed to be losing her patience.

Edwyn nodded, blinking his tired eyes. "Very well. The shorter version of it… Well, Lord Flyte… the Lord of Anticlere… he choked on something, I think… and then collapsed. He was with myself and Kingsley, of Wayrest's Bankers Guild. Lafont... of the Mariners Guild, she tried to revive him with healing spells, but a palace healer came along and took him away for treatment."

Yurma glared at him. "Is that it?"

Edwyn shrugged. "Well, that's the short of it. In the wake of that, there was a bit of gossip and wild speculation going around." He shook his head. "I heard some mumbling about poisons and plagues and so on. The Consul called an early end to things and sent everyone off for the evening."

"Was that Lord Flyte poisoned?"

Edwyn shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so. Everyone was drinking the same wines, more or less. Nobody else fell ill."

"What'd that healer say?"

"Nothing really. He just had Lord Flyte taken away. Hopefully, the healer can learn whatever's wrong with him. Hopefully, he recovers."

Yurma scratched an itch behind her pointed ear. "Those other two, the ones who came out just before you… that was Kingsley and ah… Lafont?"

Edwyn nodded. "Yes, Kingsley and Lafont. We were held back a while and questioned by a Penitus Oculatus Inspector… Attius."

Yurma frowned. "There was a 'spectre' in there?"

"Yes, with the Consul, I think. He just wanted to learn what we knew. About what happened to Lord Flyte. Since we were with him at the time."

Yurma's brow remained furrowed. It was clear from her expression, that she didn't like it one bit that one of the Emperor's spies took an interest in questioning him.

Edwyn shook his head again. "Once we'd answered the Inspector's questions, he assigned knights to escort each of us back to our respective quarters."

"Not knights." She looked distracted.

Edwyn raised his eyebrows in question.

Noting his silence, she looked to him. "They're not knights. Most of them are just rank and file of the order… of the Knights of the Dragon. Only the elite are actual knights. One of the others I was waiting with, told me all about them. Doesn't matter." She waved a hand in a dismissive fashion.

Edwyn suppressed another yawn. "In any case, that's mostly the whole story. Oh, I also heard that Emperor's Trade Minister still hasn't turned up. They're hoping he'll be here by tomorrow. As far as we know, the trade summit is still expected to go ahead, starting tomorrow afternoon. I suppose that we'll see."

Edwyn stepped over to one of the lightly padded sofas and flopped down upon it with a weary sigh. Yurma remained standing. She still hadn't removed her weapons or the shield from her back.

Yurma maintained a concerned expression. "So, that… ah Kingsley… and ah… that Lafont. You know them?"

"Not well. Only from previous… professional dealings and the like. Kingsley fancies himself a noble, so I wouldn't normally have much to do with him."

"And that Lord Flyte?"

Edwyn sighed. He was really starting to feel like he was being interrogated for a second time. "None of us had met him before this evening. He just seemed to be a bit of a talker and he chose me as his preferred audience, for some reason."

Yurma still seemed to be weighing things in her mind. "If someone was looking to cause trouble for this thing, poisoning some noble or such would sure do it."

Edwyn rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't think he was poisoned. He's more likely just fallen ill with something. Or perhaps, he's suffering from poor health. Perhaps, a weak heart or the like. You're just being overly suspicious." Though Lord Flyte was hardly so old by comparison, Edwyn was briefly put in mind of his father's failing health during his final days. Not that he wanted to be reminded of that.

"Better to be suspicious, than be taken by surprise. If that 'spectre' was suspicious of trouble, then it's probably a good idea to be cautious."

Edwyn rested his eyes. "I'm sure that Lord Flyte will turn out to be all right and everything will be fine tomorrow."

Still appearing restless, Yurma finally decided to remove her shield and set her weapons down. "Either way, I'll be keeping a sharp eye out for trouble."

Edwyn offered no immediate response. After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "I really need to rest. I need to be sharp for tomorrow… for the start of the trade summit."

With perhaps a little more effort than he expected, Edwyn rose from the sofa and made his way for the rear of the guest suite. He firstly headed for the bathroom to attend to pressing matters, and then afterward, he headed directly for the screened-off sleeping area and the bed waiting for him.

Before also turning in for the evening, Yurma put out most of the lights about the guest suite. She made a point of leaving just one candle burning just near the door. After removing her boots and her outer armour, she settled back upon a sofa, positioning herself so that she was directly facing the locked door.

~O~


	9. Chapter 9

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 9

Fredas the 2nd of Evening Star 4E71 Morning

Something like that previous morning, Edwyn Northwind awoke with a bit of a start, suddenly realising that he was not sleeping in his own bed back in his Wayrest home. Almost immediately, he remembered exactly where he was. Inside the thick stone walls of that guest suite in Castle Daggerfall, the sounds of whatever might be beyond them remained muffled to the point of hardly being heard at all. Even so, he thought that a noise of some sort had stirred him from his sleep.

Still feeling a little groggy from hours of uninterrupted slumber, he slipped from the covers and quietly rose. Stepping a little closer to the screens separating that sleeping area from the rest of the larger room, he felt the chill of the cold stone floor through the soles of his bare feet as he moved beyond the refuge of the fibrous mat just next to that side of the bed.

Peering over the top of the ornate screen, Edwyn observed that his Orcish bodyguard was already awake and sitting up on one of the sofas. A couple of candles were burning nearby and the oil lamp mounted to the wall above and behind her had also been ignited. By the light in that part of the room, she was just sitting quietly and reading a book.

"It's probably after seven, maybe heading toward eight." Yurma gra-Sharma hadn't looked up from her book as she spoke. She'd evidently been fully aware that Edwyn had risen and was looking over in her direction and also anticipated his most likely question.

"Yes… ah, thankyou." Edwyn sounded croaky as he spoke.

Still wearing the underclothes he'd slept in, he padded toward the bathroom located near the rear corner of the guest quarters. He noted that there was a single candle already burning in there, providing just enough light to see by. After relieving himself, he turned to the wide ceramic bowl upon the side table. He poured some water from the pitcher and proceeded to wash his face to feel properly wakened. Given that the water was quite cold, it certainly served to sharpen his aspect in a bracing fashion.

Once he was finished, he emptied the bowl down the drain. Other thoughts returned to the fore of his mind. With a remaining sense of concern, he wondered whether Lord Flyte had recovered under the care of that palace healer. He certainly hoped that was the case. With just a flicker of guilt, he recalled how he'd found the near continuous rambling of the Lord of the Anticlere over a period of a couple of hours to be rather annoying. Even so, he otherwise found him to be something of an affable and outwardly kindly individual. It was perhaps fair to presume that the Lord's overly talkative nature was most likely just his way of coping with the broader demands of his position of responsibility.

Returning from the bathroom, Edwyn dressed in his better clothes once again, though without donning that heavy blue coat he'd been wearing the previous evening.

Though it was cool, it wasn't terribly cold. He imagined that it was likely far colder outside at that time of the morning. Especially if any brisk winter winds were blowing down from northern High Rock. If it was going to be sunny day, he expected that it would likely warm quite quickly outdoors. However behind those heavy stone walls of the castle, he expected that any weather outside would be likely to have little effect upon the temperature inside.

Making his way out to the main sitting room, Edwyn casually wondered if he might be better wearing that coat. The gentle chill on the air started to seem more pervasive than he originally thought. For the first time, he considered the small brazier set against the wall, with copper hood above it and piping leading up to the ceiling. A small pile of wood chips sat in the receptacle next to it.

Evidently, Yurma hadn't thought it at all cold enough to prompt her to consider lighting a fire in the brazier. With a mild sigh, she set aside her book as Edwyn joined her in that front part of the guest suite.

Before doing anything else, Edwyn poured out half a glass of water from the carafe upon the table then drank it all down at once.

"You must've slept alright." Yurma's tone remained passive, but it still seemed slightly condescending.

Edwyn raised his eyebrows slightly. "Well enough. Yourself?"

Yurma shrugged. "This thing's not uncomfortable, but I try to sleep lightly… in case of trouble." She glanced toward the door.

Edwyn didn't immediately respond in any verbal manner, but he was thinking that 'trouble' would need to get through a great many of Castle Daggerfall's Royal Guard before reaching that door. He hardly thought that he'd be worth the effort, since he was really nobody of great importance in the general scheme of things. He imagined that anyone up to no good making it through the door to that guest suite would be fairly disappointed with the reward.

Of course, Yurma had no real idea of what he was thinking, but she could easily tell that something was on his mind. "Heard some people passing by outside this morning. Some with heavy boots, like guards and such. Some others, a fair bit quieter than that. S'pose all of that's fairly normal."

"Yes, I suppose so." Edwyn held no differing view.

"Yeah, well…" A knock at the door interrupted Yurma's response.

Edwyn took a step forward, but Yurma quickly rose from the sofa, gesturing for him to allow her to be the one attending to the door. Still thinking it rather unnecessary, Edwyn held back. Though Yurma was not wearing her heavy armour, he noted that she had a dagger discretely tucked into the back of her garment.

Of course, the knock at the door had not represented any threat. It had only been a palace servant with a large push trolley out in the corridor. The slender Breton lad was offering repasts for the guest quarters he passed by. He had two blends of local tea on offer, as well as some fruits and a narrow selection of sweetbreads.

Edwyn graciously accepted some tea and sweetbreads to serve as morning meal. Of course, Yurma had been notably ignored by the lad. Edwyn made a point of acquiring a second mug of tea and additional sweetbread for her.

Though the younger Breton remained otherwise faultlessly courteous, aside from providing an estimate of the time of morning, he couldn't offer any advice upon anything else that might be happening about the castle. Without pressing him further, Edwyn thanked the lad and allowed him to be on his way.

Once again, Yurma had insisted upon inspecting the food and starting the meal before Edwyn. As before, he still thought it unnecessary, but went along with her suspicious precautions without argument.

Once he'd started eating, Edwyn soon surrendered to the notion that he was actually feeling the cold more than he expected and retrieved his heavy coat. Half way through his tea, he started to think that the coat was making him feel too warm. Only fussing with it briefly, he decided to leave it on, but unbuttoned.

In passing conversation, Edwyn mentioned that he was anxious to learn of exactly what was meant to be happening later in the day.

Without demonstrating any outward interest or enthusiasm, Yurma indicated that she was paying attention, even if only to be sure that she remained fully aware of his intentions.

Though Edwyn believed that the trade summit was meant to commence that afternoon, he wasn't sure that it was a certainty until advice to that effect was provided. He idly mentioned that there were several things he would prefer to learn of that morning.

For one thing, some confirmation of the arrival of the Trade Minister from Cyrodiil would be welcome. That would likely provide indication of exactly what was intended to be going ahead and when.

Of course, he was also interested in learning of the state of Lord Flyte after having fallen ill in the Grand Hall. Whatever the case in that matter, there was nothing he could do about it, but he was still hoping to hear that the Lord was all right.

As Edwyn mentioned distractedly, Consul Carvain could certainly inform him of each of those things and more. However, he was not intending to go bother the Imperial Consul, since he expected that he would be far too busy with everything else to be answering the queries of a relatively less important summit delegate.

"So, we just need to wait about then." Yurma stated what she thought was plainly obvious, as she gathered the plates and mugs and placed them back upon the tray. She figured that someone would be passing by to collect all that eventually.

Edwyn had been silently staring at the wall for a lengthy moment. "Yes, perhaps."

"So that's that, then."

"Yes, perhaps."

With a sigh, Yurma set herself back down upon that sofa where she'd slept the previous evening. She set her hand on that book that she'd been reading earlier.

Edwyn rose slowly from his seat at the small table. "Actually, I think that I might like to go take a short walk."

Yurma looked to him with a silent frown.

Edwyn nodded, without looking to her. "This early in the day, I'd think there's plenty of time for a walk. Nothing at all is likely to happen until some time after noon."

Yurma shook her head. "You want to go take a walk… around the castle?"

Edwyn returned her gaze. "I'm actually thinking of taking a walk outside, just through the palace grounds, if the weather is fair this morning."

With another sigh, Yurma shook her head again. "What, you mean now?

"Well, yes."

"Hold up, then." Yurma proceeded to put on her heavy armour over her underclothes and collect her weapons and shield.

Noting that Yurma made a point of carrying her Fighters Guild papers, Edwyn also made sure that he had his papers on his person. Soon enough, they were ready to go. Yurma pointedly left that tray just outside in the corridor, before locking the door to the room.

Along the corridors, they passed some Royal Guard and the occasional palace servant. They observed no one that either of them knew or readily recognised from the previous evening. Eventually, they arrived at the main castle entryway. The guards by the door offered only restrained interest, glancing at Edwyn's papers, before waving them through.

* * *

Passing through the doors at the front of Castle Daggerfall, Edwyn and Yurma stepped out into the sunny morning air outside. There were a few clouds drifting in the sky, but nothing notably menacing. There seemed only a light breeze blowing from the east. It was nothing like the chilly winter gusts that sometimes started blustering down from the north during that month, often lasting for several days at a time. Though to be fair, Edwyn didn't really know how the winter weather patterns affected Daggerfall. Only what it was like back in Wayrest.

Aside from those guards standing by the doors, no one else was in immediate view about the grounds of the castle. Moving away from the castle entrance, Edwyn paused by the top of the stone steps. Yurma remained just slightly behind him.

Though it seemed quiet up near the castle at that moment, looking out over the city below, the activities of other parts of Daggerfall was far more evident. A couple of guards of the city watch could be seen talking and looking out over Merchant Town from the top of the gray stone wall between the Castle Daggerfall District and that other district below. Though the open market stalls were out of view, Edwyn noticed that he could just see the edge of Tradesman's Square past the Daggerfall Cathedral. A few people seemed to be passing through that space, then disappearing downhill and out of view.

"You're not thinking about going down to the city?" Yurma's tone clearly conveyed her disfavour with that idea.

Edwyn shrugged. "Hmm? No, no. I'd just like to take a short walk in the sun. We can stay up here. We won't go far. I promise."

Edwyn casually made his way down the stone steps out the front of the main castle entryway then turned left along the path. Yurma followed just a couple of paces behind.

Just beyond the immediate area of the main castle entrance, there were a few moderate sized trees along the stone walls with some convenient bench seats set at well-spaced intervals. Some shrubs and other plants in garden patches looked like flowering varieties. However, they all appeared rather poorly with the turn of winter.

A little further along in that direction, the extended northern wing of the castle stretched between the central palace structure and the northern guard tower. There were a few more trees, shrubs and benches along there. With the influence of the turning season, many of the trees had dropped yellowing foliage, leaving a carpet of brown leaves upon the ground.

Edwyn came to a sudden halt, standing there with a dumbfounded look.

Just ahead of him, he observed Lord Rodistair Flyte sitting on a garden bench seat with an armoured Knight of the Flame standing at his side. The Lord of Anticlere was attired more or less the same as he'd been the previous evening and wearing his dark coloured coat with that ornate golden clasp pinned over his heart. His shock of near white hair was standing up in resolute defiance of the light breeze. At a glance, he appeared rather well, showing no obvious outward sign of what he'd endured the night before.

Observing his approach, the Lord of Anticlere smiled broadly, waving him over to join him. "Edwyn, I truly was meaning to go find you later today. I really should thank you for your timely assistance, last evening."

Shaking his head subtly, Edwyn blinked his eyes. "Lord… Lord Flyte, I'm… I'm surprised… should you be out here?"

The Lord of Anticlere gestured dismissively with his hand. "Oh please, I simply must take a walk during the mornings, preferably well before noon. Even if only a short one. I stopped here to rest a moment and take in the morning sun... since it is such a lovely day outside."

Yurma made a point of keeping behind Edwyn. She remained silent, also keeping an eye upon that silent knight at the Lord's side. She didn't like the way that he seemed to always keep the visor of his full-faced helmet closed, even when at relative ease.

As he drew much closer to Lord Flyte, Edwyn was shaking his head, with a somewhat confused expression. "I am very glad to see that you're well, but… but I'm not sure that I understand at all. Last night…?"

"Yes, yes, that was all terribly embarrassing. Nonetheless, I can assure that I am quite well now... or at least reasonably well. Please, sit with me a while, won't you?"

Awkwardly settling down next to the Lord, Edwyn shook his head again. "But… what happened?"

"Well, that seems to remain something of a mystery. That palace healer did seem very skilled… and his spells and potions proved quite effective. In fact, I feel very much myself this morning. Perhaps, not perfectly unaffected, but quite well… certainly compared to when I firstly awoke in the healer's chambers."

Edwyn's silent expression conveyed his persistent bewilderment.

Flyte continued. "As I suggested, it's all quite mysterious. Even that healer was not able to determine precisely what affliction was upon me. He believes that it must have been something that I'd eaten earlier… something that made me quite ill. However, he really couldn't say what it was. Not really. Only that it seemingly was not the wine. I understand that there'd been some troubling talk about that possibility. However, he says that his testing of remnants from that wineglass I'd dropped found nothing telling."

Though smiling awkwardly, Edwyn's expression still conveyed confusion. "So… so, the healer just treated you and sent on your way?"

Lord Flyte uttered a slight chuckle. "Oh, it was hardly so simple as that… and not all so quickly resolved. Sir Dalric, here… he was quite furious over being made to wait outside the healer's chambers. Though I was in quite good hands, he does tend to take notable umbrage at being kept from performing his sworn duty."

Edwyn glanced up at the imposing armoured figure. Sir Dalric remained impassive.

Lord Flyte continued. "I did also have a brief conversation with an Imperial Inspector… Attius was his name. He seemed pleasant enough, I suppose, but terribly bland. I imagine that Inspectors of the Penitus Oculatus are expected to behave as such." Flyte leaned in much closer, lowering his voice. "Just quietly, you know… the healer did mention that my affliction had seemed rather like a reaction to poisoning. However, he couldn't really make any determination to confirm that." He again waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "At the very least, he remained suspicious of something tainted that I'd eaten. I understand that some of the staff of the palace kitchens might well have endured some unpleasantness. However, I'm quite confident that anything of such a kind could surely not have been at all intentional."

Edwyn turned only briefly to look to Yurma. He expected that she'd probably heard what Lord Flyte had said, but she betrayed no obvious reaction. "So… so, I take it that you're feeling well enough for the summit then… provided that it's still proceeding today?"

Flyte nodded. "Oh, yes. Quite so, I should think. Oh, oh… I should share what I learned from Consul Carvain, when I spoke with him a little earlier." He paused. "The Consul seemed quite relieved to learn that the Imperial Trade Minister's vessel finally arrived during the early hours. I understand that he's still down at the harbour at this time." He waved his hand in the general direction of the western harbour district of Daggerfall. "However, I believe that the Minister will be up here well before any of the meetings intended for this afternoon."

Edwyn returned an optimistic nod. "That's good to hear."

Lord Flyte shifted suddenly, raising his hand with one finger extended. "Oh… there's one other thing that I learned of this morning. A representative from the East Empire Trading Company just turned up a few hours ago. I didn't even know that someone would be coming. It is quite some distance to journey. I heard that she'd travelled overland, all the way from the office at Solitude in Skyrim, if you can believe that."

Edwyn frowned. "That is quite a journey. I didn't know that they were sending anyone either." He wasn't too surprised that such a person might not be able to find a ship sailing from the Haafinger region with the northern winter setting in. However unless following some other route, he imagined that after travelling overland as far as Evermor, it might have been far easier to take a riverboat down the Bjoulsae to Wayrest, then board another vessel headed down the bay to Daggerfall.

Flyte again shifted with a sudden movement, drawing attention to himself. "Oh, I also understand that you were not the only one to immediately come my aid last evening?"

Edwyn nodded. "Yes that's right, Arnaud Kingsley did help when you fell ill. Before anyone else offered any proper assistance, Marie Lafont tried to use healing spells. At least, until the healer arrived to minister treatment."

Fidgeting with the clasp over his breast, as he seemed to do fairly commonly, Lord Flyte affected a serious expression. "Yes, that inspector offered passing mention of each of them. I really must make the effort find both Arnaud and Marie today and extend my proper thanks for their kindness."

Edwyn frowned as a thought came to him. "I just recalled something Lafont said last night. It was when Inspector Attius was asking what we'd observed in relation to your illness."

Flyte raised his eyebrows in silent question.

Edwyn continued. "You'd previously given me the impression that you didn't know who she was, but… but Lafont mentioned that she'd met you earlier in the evening."

Lord Flyte chuckled lightly. "Oh, Edwyn… please forgive me. That's just my way. I hadn't meant to be at all maliciously deceitful. I was merely providing opportunity for you to tell me about some of those other people at the gathering. Those who you might have known well enough to speak of. I do find that feigning ignorance is sometimes one of the best ways to encourage others to participate in friendly conversation. I find that it often seems to serve quite well in most circumstances." He turned slightly to glance to his armoured bodyguard. "Well, except for with Sir Dalric here… he doesn't seem to be much for conversation at all."

The armoured knight reacted only with a subtle shift of his closed helmet, otherwise remaining perfectly quiet and inert.

Nodding his acceptance of Lord Flyte's explanation, Edwyn returned a slightly awkward grin. He was feeling a little silly for even bringing it up.

Flyte smiled disarmingly. "If it means anything… I'd spoken only very briefly with Marie Lafont and she hadn't seemed at all talkative. Of course, though others had identified both yourself and Arnaud, none of them had much to say at all. As I mentioned at the start, my instincts suggested to me that you seemed far more interesting than some others in attendance."

Edwyn shrugged mildly. "I wouldn't think that I'm quite so… interesting."

Lord Flyte patted Edwyn's coat sleeve. "Nonsense, nonsense. As I suggested last evening, a Breton hardly needs to be born to nobility to achieve greatness. I do believe that you've proven me rather insightful in that regard." He waved his hand about. "I should suspect that all those nobles and other individuals imbued with self importance failed to even lift a finger when I'd taken ill. Had I not been in your company, at that specific moment, I might well have fallen and split my head open upon the floor. In such a case, even Marie Lafont's timely assistance might have proved inadequate."

Edwyn nodded a little. "Yes, in that regard, I suppose that you're right."

"Of course I am, of course I am… and most grateful that I was in your presence, rather than standing with someone more concerned whether fine wine was being spilled."

"Yes well, I'm certainly glad that you're alright."

Lord Flyte returned a pleasant smile, then patted his hands upon his thighs. "Well, though it is such a lovely day outside today, I suppose that we don't have the luxury to pass it by idly. There are things to be done and more things to attend once the afternoon arrives."

"Yes, I'd say so." Edwyn offered his agreement, rising from the seat in unison with the Lord of Anticlere.

Flyte gestured with his hand. "We should make our way back inside the castle."

"As you say." Edwyn fell into step beside Flyte.

Along the way back to the front entrance of Castle Daggerfall, Lord Flyte made inquiry of Edwyn's bodyguard, provoking opportunity for brief introductions to be exchanged.

Despite Flyte's casual attempts, Yurma resisted being drawn into any sort of conversation, trying her best to maintain a professional distance, both physically and verbally.

Of course, Sir Dalric remained perfectly inscrutable as he followed along. Without speaking of it, Yurma might have thought that his heavy armour was actually empty, had she not caught fleeting glimpse of eyes shifting behind the visor of his helmet.

After being waved through by the guards at the heavy doors, the two groups parted ways. Of course, Edwyn and Yurma were headed for their guest suite in the southern wing. Lord Flyte and Sir Dalric were headed in the opposite direction for their own quarters located in the northern wing of the castle.

~O~


	10. Chapter 10

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 10

Fredas the 2nd of Evening Star 4E71 Afternoon

After departing Lord Flyte's company during the morning, the remainder of Edwyn's day had varied wildly from the perfectly mundane to the tediously ambitious, with perhaps just a few things that lingered somewhere in between. Without expecting too much, he'd been hoping that the latter part of the afternoon would prove to be different.

Following that morning walk, which led to that quite unexpected encounter with the seemingly healthy Lord of Anticlere, Edwyn and Yurma returned directly to those guest quarters in the southern wing of Castle Daggerfall.

Only once they were well clear of other ears, Yurma commented upon her opinion of Lord Flyte. Though seemingly joking, she noted that the Lord of Anticlere either seemed to be the friendliest noble in all of High Rock, or possibly the most cunning and manipulative inquisitor of the western provinces. She also suggested that she thought he could quite possibly continue talking without pause, even while sinking below the depths of Illiac Bay.

Edwyn didn't find Lord Flyte's behaviour particularly suspicious. He thought that he'd been perfectly open about placing the interests of Anticlere at the fore of his concerns. As for the Lord's verbose nature, though Edwyn might have thought much the same, he remained unwilling to say such a thing out loud.

Yurma also expressed her concern over the possibility that Lord Flyte might well have been poisoned, since he'd mentioned that the healer seemed unable to dismiss that.

Edwyn hadn't been convinced at all. He was willing to accept the likelihood that it had just been something that Lord Flyte had eaten and the whole matter had merely become inflated out of proportion by those inclined toward that sort of thing.

Yurma remained suspicious, but otherwise left it alone.

In that guest suite, the remainder of the morning had been interrupted three times by palace service staff at their door. The first visitor looked to ensuring that fresh drinking water was in satisfactory supply in the guest suite. The second attended to general servicing requirements, topping up the reservoirs of oil lamps, removing spent candles and ensuring that enough fresh candles were in supply, and then looking to anything else that seemed as though it might need attention.

The third arrival offered advice of options for midday meals to be delivered as requested. Not wanting to create any difficulty for himself or the palace staff, Edwyn kept his order as simple as possible, selecting one of the options exactly as it was offered. He also asked for a second identical portion for Yurma.

It had been perhaps just a little after noon when meals were delivered. Once again, Edwyn needed to wait for Yurma to declare that the food and drink was safe. He'd been only mildly annoyed by the ritual, though still not really expecting the possibility of anything being amiss. He was actually feeling slightly more annoyed over how he'd actually begun to doubt his previous surety. Of course, Lord Flyte's mysterious illness played some small part in all that.

After eating and attending to other mundane matters, another period of tedious waiting passed. Edwyn had been certain that it had to be nearly two hours past midday by the time that a messenger finally arrived with those details he'd been impatiently awaiting.

Edwyn learned that a summit meeting had been scheduled, commencing at four in the castle's Grand Hall. Aside from the designation of 'preliminary assembly', no other pertinent detail was outlined. Though still hoping for something different, he assumed that it would mostly just be another tedious address. It was also likely that the Imperial Trade Minister would have some sort of prepared speech and also intended to outline what was on the agenda for the following days. Starting that late in the day, he hardly expected much more than that.

Preparing himself as best as he was able, Edwyn waited until it was likely to be about a half-hour before four. He then donned his blue coat again and carried his document satchel under his arm as he readied himself to go.

Of course by then, Yurma had already prepared herself and was armed and ready, standing by the door. She'd extinguished a few candles and lamps, leaving enough still burning to clearly see by.

After locking the door to the guest suite behind them, they made their way along the corridors of the southern wing toward the central palace area. Though some corridors seemed longer than Edwyn expected and he occasionally questioned his sense of direction, he found that he almost knew exactly where he was going without thinking too much about it. He expected that Yurma would have prompted him if he turned the wrong way, since she already seemed more confident of the layout of what they had previously seen of the castle.

Soon enough, they arrived at the Grand Hall in the central section of Castle Daggerfall. A couple of people were just heading inside through the doors as they arrived.

Once again, the members of the sizeable and varied contingent of bodyguards were required to wait outside in that anteroom. That's where Yurma and Edwyn parted company.

* * *

After presenting his papers and passing through the guarded doors, Edwyn stepped inside the Grand Hall of Castle Daggerfall. He immediately noticed how different the place appeared from the previous evening. The large and previously empty space had been notably altered by the addition of a great deal of furniture. Tables and chairs had been arranged in rows.

Except for a few tables separated from the rest, off to his far right, almost everything else was faced toward a raised dais with a lectern, positioned over to his left, just near that elaborate tapestry hanging on the wall.

Much like the previous evening, there were a number of Castle Daggerfall's Royal Guards evenly positioned about the outer walls of the Grand Hall, looking very much like parts of the furnishing.

The row of tables situated nearest to the dais still had some empty seats. There also seemed to be fewer tables and chairs in that particular row. From looking only at the backs of their heads, Edwyn couldn't quite recognise anyone seated there at the front.

Edwyn did note some recognisable figures seated in the second row. Looking about half way along that line of tables, he observed Lord Flyte seated between Countess Menevia and the Duke of Alcaire. That seemed to indicate that at least the front two rows might have been specifically reserved for nobles and the like.

Before Edwyn had the opportunity to consider where he might be headed, he was intercepted by a younger Breton man of plain appearance holding a sheaf of papers. He identified himself as a staff member serving the summit, then checked Edwyn's name against a seating plan that he briefly examined.

The younger Breton then guided Edwyn toward the fifth row from the front and then seated him between Arnaud Kingsley and Marie Lafont.

The Mariners Guild representative offered only a silent nod of acknowledgment as he arrived to take the seat next to her. Edwyn responded in the precise same manner, since she didn't seem immediately talkative.

"Ah, Edwyn, you've arrived." Kingsley seemed uncharacteristically friendly.

"Yes, ah… Arnaud. I don't think it's quite gone four yet." Edwyn felt certain that he they'd not previously ever addressed one another by given name in the past. At least, not before that previous evening. He wasn't sure that it made him feel any more comfortable.

Kingsley bobbed his head in a sort of nod. "Oh no, it's likely still not quite four and nothing has started yet. I tried to get here a little early, just in case. However, it seems that mostly just served to make for a much longer wait."

Edwyn nodded agreeably. "Yes, I expect that we'll be doing a lot of that."

Kingsley affected a more serious expression. "Did you hear about Lord Flyte?"

"Yes, I saw him earlier in the day… ran into him by accident."

Kingsley nodded his head in Lord Flyte's direction. "I'm quite relieved to learn that he's recovered so well. He stopped by to convey his gratitude just before, thanking both myself and Marie here."

Turning his head, Edwyn glanced to Lafont with raised eyebrows.

Marie responded. "Yeah, he seemed real grateful. Seems like he's completely recovered. Seems to think he might've eaten something bad or something like that."

Kingsley interjected. "Food poisoning of a sort, I suppose. Not an actual intentional poisoning. At least, he doesn't seem to think so."

Edwyn nodded. "Yes, that's much like what he told me." Since it didn't seem that anyone was paying any special attention to Flyte, he expected that some word must have already passed around regarding the Lord of Anticlere's remarkable recovery from his embarrassing illness the previous evening at the gathering.

The banker continued. "He mentioned something of that Imperial Trade Minister."

"Yes, I'm glad he finally turned up. Even if a little later than expected."

Kingsley nodded in an offhand manner. "Apparently, he's one of the Vici's."

"Oh yes, I do know of them." Edwyn again shifted his gaze toward the forward area of the room. If only by reputation, he was aware enough of the Vici name. He knew that Nibenese nobles of the Vici family had commonly served with The Elder Council of Cyrodiil from time to time over the years. Though never actually rulers of any County or the like, the Vici name often seemed close to those others in positions of power within the Imperial Province.

Kingsley followed Edwyn's gaze. "I don't think he's in here at the moment. I haven't even seen him yet. At least, I don't think so."

Edwyn responded with a sound of acknowledgment.

Kingsley shifted in his seat. "Oh, Lord Flyte also mentioned someone else. He said that a representative of the East Empire Trading Company turned up this morning. Travelled overland all the way from Solitude to get here."

Edwyn nodded again. "Yes, I'd heard that."

Kingsley gestured in the direction of a woman seated off toward the right in the row immediately in front of them. "Apparently, she arrived in Daggerfall some time last night, but only came up to the castle early this morning. Antonia Verus is her name. Originally from the Imperial City, I understand."

"I don't think I've heard of her." Edwyn glanced to Lafont again.

Marie shook her head. "Me neither. Had some written communication with others running the Solitude operation, but not her."

Kingsley shrugged. "The East Empire Trading Company isn't quite as substantial as it once was… during those boom times of Morrowind. Even so, there's still enough trade coming out of the eastern province to maintain some measure of importance. At least, in the general scheme of things."

Lafont added something. "Yeah, shipping from that region ain't what it must've been a hundred years back, but it's still busy enough… in both directions."

Edwyn had nothing to add. He was aware of specialty trade that came to Wayrest merchants from Skyrim and Morrowind via shipping. Though not significant in volume, it remained notable in value.

Kingsley shifted again, leaning forward. "I heard something interesting a little earlier."

Edwyn silently indicated that he was paying attention. He was still feeling somewhat at odds over Kingsley's marked change in behaviour. Before that time with Lord Flyte the previous evening, they would have hardly spoken at all, unless it was necessary to mutual business matters.

Kingsley continued. "I heard that there's been some fresh trouble over in Cyrodiil again… between the Synod and the College of Whispers."

Edwyn frowned. "Trouble? In what fashion?"

"From what I heard, it's some arguments over jurisdiction and the scope of what is currently acceptable practice outside of the Arcane University."

Edwyn nodded silently. He understood just a little of the division of what those two organisations did over in Cyrodiil. From what he knew, the Synod had maintained close ties to the rule of Cyrodiil, providing training for battlemages for the Legion and such. Apparently, the College of Whispers also operated within the Arcane University. However outside of that location, where the College had taken over most of the old Mages Guild facilities of Cyrodiil's regional cities, things were rather different. They'd been restricted to providing only basic services for the general public at those places. That meant limiting activities to the schools of restoration, alteration, alchemy and the like. Anything pertaining to destruction magic, conjuration or other things of that nature were strictly kept within the Arcane University.

Kingsley had paused only briefly. "I hear that the Synod has grown restless over the College of Whisper's possession of those old Mages Guild halls throughout Cyrodiil. At the same time, the College of Whispers has grown restless over the limitations of what they're permitted to do at those locations."

Edwyn frowned again. "I'd thought that the dust had settled over all that… after the Umbriel Crisis." It had been near to three decades since the troubles of that time.

With a shrug, Kingsley shook his head. "I think it's probably more about funding and perceived power. I hear that certain members of The Elder Council actually prefer to have them at odds with one another. I suspect that they still distrust the power that the Mages Guild of old once wielded. With those two organisations divided… well, I imagine that they think that keeps them in their place."

"I suppose so." Edwyn's response indicated reserved agreement.

Lafont didn't seem at all interested in being drawn into it.

Kingsley nodded to himself. "Given that our own Mages institutions across High Rock have become largely independent, we don't seem to have such problems."

"No, not really." As far as Edwyn knew, nobody had been sent to the trade summit from the independent Mages Guild of Wayrest. Given that it was not really a commercial enterprise, he wasn't so surprised. Though it's interests remained broad, the Wayrest Mages Guild commonly traded directly with the public of the city as well as the local Temple of the Divines and the various merchants of Wayrest. He didn't know whether the Mages College of Daggerfall had someone attending the summit. Looking about, if there was someone there from that college, he couldn't really tell.

Kingsley silently nodded his head toward the front of the room. Edwyn noticed that the Imperial Consul to Daggerfall was milling about near the dais at the front of the room with some papers in hand. Quintus Carvain looked somewhat anxious. Though it was hard to tell, Edwyn expected that he was actually probably fairly relieved that the Imperial Trade Minister had made it to the summit in time for the official commencement.

Looking to the third row from the front, Edwyn noticed Sentinel Trade Minister Harim seated near the right hand side. To his immediate right was Qasim, the representative from Stros M'kai. The Redguard man sitting to Harim's left appeared more plainly attired. From appearance alone, he thought that he might have been the Minister's aide.

There was another unfamiliar Redguard seated to the left of that other man. Edwyn didn't know who he might be with any certainty. His attire marked him as someone of means. At a guess, he thought that he might have been from Rihad or one of the other cities of Hammerfell, since he was seated with other representatives of that province.

Edwyn's attention was taken by what he assumed to be staff attendants shuffling along the rows of tables and chairs. The staff clearly fell into two categories. Some of them carrying trays and distributing glasses of water. The other ones were delivering sheafs of papers to each of the delegates in attendance at the summit.

Since he wasn't immediately thirsty, aside from thanking the servant, Edwyn ignored the glass of water set upon the table in front of him. He was more interested in taking a look at the documents being distributed.

Only a moment after he'd started perusing the papers he'd received, Edwyn's focus was drawn toward movement near the front of the room. Prince Regent Gothryd had just emerged from the other entryway by the far right hand corner of that end of the room. He was in the company of an Imperial man, dressed in what must have passed for expensive Cyrodilic attire among the nobility. In Edwyn's unspoken opinion, if the garish colours of the Imperial man's outfit were not more than enough, then the combination of puffy sleeves above the elbows and fur-lined collar seemed comically absurd.

"This looks like things about to start." Kingsley stated the obvious.

"Er… yes." Edwyn agreed in a distracted manner.

Prince Regent Gothryd smiled enthusiastically as he said something to both the Imperial Consul and the Imperial Trade Minister, then moved to take a seat in the front row.

Consul Carvain took to the raised dais and held his hands out, calling the room to order. It took a few moments for the dull murmurs to fall away.

Once he felt certain that he held the full attention of everyone present, Carvain proceeded with some brief opening remarks. In some fashion, it seemed something a repeat of much of what he'd said the previous evening. He made a special point of noting that only preliminary matters were to be addressed that afternoon.

Once Carvain was done, he made mention of Prince Regent Gothryd, who then stood up and came around to step up onto the dais. A restrained applause passed as Carvain stepped back, handing the podium over to Daggerfall's Prince.

As soon as the room again fell quiet, Gothryd once again offered brief welcoming to all of those attending the summit in Daggerfall. Of course, some of the faces present had been at the gathering the previous evening, but some had not. Though his words were somewhat different from previous, the Prince Regent conveyed a similar tone of welcome to that which had already been presented at the previous evening's gathering.

At the conclusion of his address, appearing quite outwardly pleased with himself, Gothryd surrendered the podium to the Imperial representative of Emperor Attrebus. "The Imperial Trade Minister, Gaius Vici."

Another round of polite applause passed.

Despite his extravagant manner of dress, Minister Vici wasn't a notably fine figure of a man. Though somewhat plump, he otherwise looked to be a fairly typical Imperial man in his late forties or early fifties. A large bald patch up on top marred his still darkish head of shortly cropped hair. His puffy eyes and saggy jowls seemed his accentuate a generally dour expression.

Standing behind the lectern, the Imperial Trade Minister added his own comments of welcome and extended thanks to everyone in attendance at the summit. After that, he went on to read from a prepared speech. It seemed to go on for quite a while, expressing the importance of regional trade and making certain direct references to both Emperor Attrebus and The Elder Council of Cyrodiil. Much of it sounded like general platitudes and seemingly avoided mentioning anything of specific substance.

Eventually, Gaius Vici was finished with his lengthy delivery. Yet another round of restrained applause followed his declaration that he was done. Though he couldn't speak for anyone else, Edwyn felt that he was actually applauding that the fact it was finally over, more than anything that had been said.

The Trade Minister handed the central position back to Consul Carvain. After thanking the Minister, the Consul proceeded with yet another tedious reading of the names and positions of all representatives present at the summit.

He then drew attention to the documents handed out to everyone and went through an orderly list of previously determined topics tabled for discussion over the following days. He also pointed out that the final page of the documents had provided adequate space for adding other items for consideration. He advised that such things should be submitted in writing in a clear and orderly fashion upon those forms.

Once Consul Carvain had paused, a few questions were taken. Since certain things hadn't been directly mentioned on the distributed documents, there were questions over whether specific matters qualified for consideration. Someone made mention of pirate vessels in the open waters Abecean and the effects upon trade interests. Someone else mentioned Khajiiti smuggling operations. A few other questions were raised.

Carvain struggled to try to keep things from falling into disarray, urging that such issues should be noted on the documents provided, so that specific concerns could be addressed for consideration. He suggested that such things should be handed in by no later than the next morning. Though a few grumbling noises persisted, it seemed that most of those present accepted what was said.

Eventually, that first meeting was drawn to a close. Carvain's final words indicated that the summit meetings would be resuming the next day at ten. The whole thing took a good two hours from start to finish. It was fair to think that the measure of achievement added up to little more than the first step of laying out what might be addressed over following days.

As people started to rise and make their way for the exit from the hall, Edwyn quickly realised that where he was seated was too far from the doors to serve a hasty retreat. It looked like it was going to take a short while to get out of there. Accordingly, he elected to remain in his seat for a bit longer.

Though Edwyn knew that he probably shouldn't have expected anything different, he hadn't anticipated just how tedious that afternoon meeting had turned out to be. That mild uproar over certain things not already included for discussion had actually been the highlight.

Though he'd already slipped those documents into his satchel, Edwyn observed that Kingsley was still glancing at his copies, before putting them away. A heavy sigh from Lafont seemed to indicate that she possibly felt the same as Edwyn about having to wait about for the crowd to disperse a little.

Evidently, Lord Flyte had also chosen to avoid miring himself in the slow moving crowd. After rising from his seat, rather than joining the herd, he'd decided to go the other way around and approached those Wayrest guild representatives from the right hand side.

Brief pleasantries were exchanged. It came as no surprise to Edwyn that Kingsley still seemed overly eager to maintain favour with the Lord of Anticlere. By contrast, Lafont remained somewhat terse and reserved. Edwyn tried to hold to something in between those two extremities.

It was fair to observe that Lord Flyte seemed to hardly alter his generally buoyant outlook at all, no matter the behaviour of anyone around him.

Edwyn felt that the Lord of Anticlere appeared far more energetic than he might reasonably be expected to be. Only the previous evening, Flyte was looking like he was at death's door. It seemed that either the palace healer truly really was notably skilled, the Lord was notably resilient, or that perhaps it might be some combination of both things.

Finally securing his documents, Kingsley appeared just slightly weary. "I should hope that tomorrow will mark the start of some more productive discussions at this summit."

Nodding to himself, Flyte fidgeted with the golden clasp over his breast, tapping a finger upon the large ruby at its centre. "Oh, I feel quite certain that all of this will become far more engaging and interesting… once it's all properly under way, of course."

In a somewhat animated fashion, Lord Flyte went on to mention a few points of interest he'd noted upon the summit documentation that he felt were very likely to make for robust discourse. Though he hadn't been the one to raise the question, Flyte made a point of expressing his astonishment that the issue of piracy on the seas had not already been included in the preliminary outline. He said that he thought it really did need to be discussed.

Kingsley readily agreed with Flyte's opinion.

Presumably looking to Lafont for her opinion, Lord Flyte seemed rather surprised to learn that she'd somehow managed to quietly slip away without saying anything. At that particular moment, she was just passing by the guards at the door on her way out.

Edwyn noticed that aside from themselves, only two other delegates were still in the room. They appeared engaged in friendly discussion. Though he'd probably heard their names earlier, he found that he didn't know exactly who they were.

Lord Flyte gestured vaguely with his left hand, as though waving away some errant thought. "Well, though it seems that very little has really been done, it has proven a somewhat tiring day for me." He still didn't look so tired, even though he had every right to be.

Kingsley offered an agreeable nod. "Well, given your… your brief illness, Lord… Rodistair, you really should ensure that you are well rested."

Flyte bobbed his head a little. "Yes, yes, I suppose that one cannot really argue with such advice of good intention. Added to that, given that the morrow may likely prove to be somewhat taxing… well, being well rested, certainly does seem a good idea."

Edwyn added his own voice. "I'm actually feeling a little bit frayed myself… and I've not been affected by unexpected illness."

Flyte nodded agreeably. "Yes, yes, I suppose that we really should be off. Given certain previous matters, I expect that Sir Dalric might well become unnecessarily agitated, if I don't choose to depart in a timely fashion."

The Lord of Anticlere again nodded his head and gestured toward the guarded doors, then started off that direction. Both Northwind and Kingsley followed along just behind.

Passing through the doors to the anteroom just outside, it was evident that most of the bodyguards had already departed with their charges. Lord Flyte's armoured Knight of the Flame silently stood on his own. Also waiting on her own upon the bench on the left, Yurma rose as she observed Edwyn's approach. Across the other side, two male Bretons and an Imperial man of swarthy appearance engaged in muffled conversation. One of the Bretons rose from the seat as he noticed Kingsley heading toward them.

Though no proper introductions were made at all, only from casual passing mention, it was learned that Kingsley's bodyguard was named Copperton. Compared to Lord Flyte's tall armoured knight, or even Edwyn's Orcish companion, Kingsley's bodyguard seemed hardly so imposing. He was attired only in light armour, comprised of hardened leather sections over mail, and appeared only of rather modest stature. Aside from acknowledging Kingsley with a firm nod, Copperton otherwise remained silent.

Of course, the impassive Sir Dalric remained just as silent as he'd been upon each of those brief occasions he'd previously been in their presence.

Given that she was an Orc in the presence of a group of Bretons, Yurma also chose to remain quiet to avoid any possible unnecessary unpleasantness that might arise.

Proceeding from there, the larger group continued onward along the broad corridors leading away from the Grand Hall.

Along the way, Lord Flyte casually speculated over what meals might be on offer from the palace kitchens that evening, suggesting that he was just beginning to feel somewhat peckish. Idly mentioning that he'd had something different the previous evening, he spoke of hearing how the kitchen staff of Castle Daggerfall were said to do some marvellous things with some of the local fish. In a slightly distracted manner, Kingsley agreed with what Flyte was saying. Edwyn had nothing to add.

Soon enough, they arrived at where their paths diverged. After casual farewells were exchanged, in company of Sir Dalric, Lord Flyte headed off toward the north wing of the castle, where his guest quarters were located. With their own bodyguards in tow, Kingsley and Edwyn headed for the south wing.

As it passed, it turned out that they were actually headed in pretty much the same direction. Only a short while passed before they had arrived at the door to Kingsley's guest suite. Edwyn was somewhat surprised to learn that Kingsley's quarters were located only just around the corner from his own. In fact, he reasonably expected that a portion of the back section of Kingsley's suite most likely shared the stone wall with the front section of his own. He spoke nothing of that, only mentioning that he was situated a little further along the next corridor.

A brief farewell passed at the door to the banker's guest suite, as Kingsley and Copperton headed inside, then Edwyn and Yurma continued onward toward their own guest quarters, just around the next corner to retire for the evening.

~O~


	11. Chapter 11

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 11

Fredas the 2nd of Evening Star 4E71 Evening

Back inside their guest suite in the southern wing of Castle Daggerfall, only a short time passed by before a knock was heard at the door. Edwyn only had the time to drink a glass of water and then go visit the bathroom before that occurrence.

Once again of course, Yurma had been the one to go answer the door. It had only been another one of the palace staff making brief inquiry and taking orders for evening meals to be delivered. The servant waited for Edwyn, evidently not comfortable with dealing with an Orcish warrior woman at the door.

After just briefly checking with Yurma, Edwyn requested two portions of the same thing from the fairly simple menu. Unless deciding to make changes to what was on offer, there were really only three dishes to choose from. Naturally, Yurma didn't really care what was ordered, so long as there weren't any unpleasant surprises.

Less than an hour passed by before another member of the palace staff arrived with the requested meals. After taking possession of the trays, Yurma took it all over to that small table and they both sat down there for the evening meal. Though Edwyn hadn't requested anything of a kind, a bottle of white wine had also been provided. Since Edwyn was perfectly satisfied with water and not intending to have any wine, Yurma left the bottle unopened.

Once again, a few moments passed before Yurma declared that the meal appeared to be safe. Edwyn hadn't really been expecting any different.

The aromatic dish of grilled Abecean Longfin was complimented by a small selection of baked vegetables and a moderately spicy sauce. Given the rich aroma arising from the spices, Edwyn wondered if she would have even been able to detect if there was anything amiss with the food.

In passing, Edwyn passed comment that what Lord Flyte had heard about the preparation of fish dishes at the castle seemed to be perfectly true. He mentioned that he'd had Abecean Longfin a few times before, but he couldn't recall it ever prepared quite so well.

Yurma seemed somewhat less impressed, suggesting that in her opinion, the spices could have been a bit stronger.

Responding to Yurma's casual inquiry, Edwyn offered a brief summary of what had transpired at the summit meeting, suggesting that much of it been rather tedious. He made some mention of a few of the items raised for discussion. Though she was listening to him, it appeared fairly obvious that Yurma found little interest in most of it.

Edwyn's mention of how the matters of seagoing piracy and smugglers had both been left off the agenda, then quickly raised by others at the summit, served to catch her attention. Yurma suggested that both things really required the action of the Legion and the Imperial Navy. However, she also readily conceded that it probably needed complaints from traders to see anything done about it. Edwyn agreed with that easily enough.

Once dinner was done, Yurma gathered up everything to leave it outside on the small bench in the corridor for collection. After that, she retreated to the sofa and returned to that book that she'd been reading earlier in the day.

With something clearly on his mind, Edwyn took his documents to the desk over the far side of the room. Seated there with ink and quill at the ready, some time passed as he silently tried to figure how he might frame a suggestion to add for consideration. He struggled with how he might word things to raise the issue of the trade out of the Orcish settlements of the Orsinium Protectorate region, without upsetting certain parties.

Eventually, he came up with what he considered to be the least objectionable framing, placing clear emphasis upon the 'civilised Orcish settlements' of the region. By that time, he thought that it had to be well past the hour of nine.

Seemingly startled by something, Yurma dropped her book upon the floor, reached for her axe and abruptly rose from the sofa. "Did you hear that?"

Shifting in his chair and turning, Edwyn looked back at her with a strange expression, shaking his head in silent question.

"Noises." She spoke quietly, moving near to the door.

"What noises?" Edwyn rose from his seat, crossing the room toward the centre.

Yurma had her ear close to the door. She kept her voice low. "Sound… sounded like someone… someone screaming out like… like a stuck pig."

"Stuck pig?" Edwyn wasn't sure that he understood what she meant.

With her ear to the door, Yurma waved him back, seemingly indicating that he should stay back, or remain quiet, or possibly both. "Definitely… someone in trouble."

Edwyn glared at her with raised eyebrows. He was silently waving his hand and pointing at the door. She looked back with a concerned or possibly confused expression.

Yurma uttered a loud whisper. "Stay right here." The sounds of someone rushing by could be heard as she was unlocking the door. However, there was no one to be seen outside by the time that she'd opened the door to peer along the corridor.

"Divines… please help." A harried voice could be heard calling out from somewhere.

"Sounds like Kingsley… I think?" Edwyn sounded concerned.

Yurma looked down the corridor to the right. "Stay back." With her weapon at the ready, she headed down the hall, keeping close to the wall.

Rounding the corner, Yurma observed Kingsley standing out in the corridor near the open doorway to his guest quarters. He was wringing his hands and appeared terribly distraught. The sounds of heavy boots on the stone indicated that members of the Royal Guard were likely approaching from that direction.

It was just as Yurma observed the leather booted legs on the floor protruding from the doorway to Kingsley's quarters, that a trio of Royal Guard came marching about the far corner of that stretch of corridor, headed directly for the agitated banker.

"You there." The guard at the fore of the group called out, drawing his blade.

It wasn't immediately obvious whether he was addressing Kingsley or the unfamiliar Orcish woman standing much further away.

"Thank the Divines." Kingsley sounded both relieved and panicked at the same time.

Though Kingsley was partially blocking the corridor, a second guard had drawn his weapon and was pointing toward the Orc with the short war-axe in her right hand. "Don't you make a move."

Yurma recognised the immediate concern. "Yurma gra-Sharma, Fighters Guild." She lowered her weapon, without actually dropping it.

Evidently ignoring Yurma's direct instructions, Edwyn rounded the corner, pulling up just behind her and raising his hands to show that they were empty. "Edwyn Northwind, Merchants Guild. She's my bodyguard."

That guard who had pushed past Kingsley, but stopped in place after a few paces, was still staring at Yurma and Edwyn with his weapon drawn. Both of them remained exactly where they were standing, avoiding anything that might escalate the situation.

The Royal Guard standing nearest to Kingsley silently glared directly at him with an intimidating expression.

"Ah… ah… ah… Arnaud Kingsley… Bankers Guild… Wayrest."

Without articulating any question, the guard pointed his blade toward the body lying face down upon the stone in the doorway of the guest quarters.

Kingsley blinked in an animated fashion. "Someone… someone has just killed Copperton. My bodyguard."

The guard glaring at Kingsley grunted in annoyed manner, then turned to the other guard standing just behind him. "Better go get the Captain. He'll want to be involved in this." He then returned his attention to Kingsley and those other two. "Nobody goes anywhere until the Captain says so."

* * *

Almost a quarter of an hour passed before the Royal Guard Captain had finally arrived. One guard remained with Kingsley, insisting that he was not to go back inside or anywhere at all. The other guard herded Edwyn and Yurma a little nearer, but kept them also standing in the corridor.

During that time, another pair of guards turned up from somewhere beyond Edwyn's guest quarters. Apparently they'd been alerted by a staff member, who had run off in that direction in reaction to Kingsley's screams. They took up position back around the corner near Edwyn's door to keep anyone else from coming along that way.

There was only one other door located along that stretch of corridor near Kingsley's suite. Whatever might have been behind that particular door remained unknown to Edwyn, since it remained closed. There were no doors along the other side of the corridor. Presumably, whatever was behind those stone walls was accessed from other corridors.

Only because Kingsley hadn't actually checked that his bodyguard was deceased, the guard with him made a point of verifying that Copperton was indeed as dead as he appeared. Apart from that, the guard left the body untouched where it lay. Lying face down, it wasn't possible to see any wound. However by then, blood had started to soak the rug that he'd fallen upon, indicating that he must have been fatally wounded somewhere.

Just before the Guard Captain had arrived, another staff servant carrying trays had come down the corridor toward Kingsley's quarters, but was swiftly turned back and told to go the other way around.

Captain Gaerfield gruffly announced himself upon arrival, seemingly only to assert his full authority for the benefit of those who didn't know who he was. Presumably, he was quite likely one of those actual knights of the order of the Knights of the Dragon, but he'd identified himself by his position with the Royal Guard. Though his features remained partially obscured by his open helmet, he appeared Breton. He briefly noted the body lying in the doorway, before glaring at each of the civilians present in turn. He then looked directly to the guard standing by Kingsley. "Report."

The other guard nodded respectfully. "This one claims that someone killed his bodyguard. These others claim to have come from the adjacent quarters, after hearing him calling out. The body is right where we found it."

Again glaring at each of the civilians in turn, Gaerfield released a huffy breath, then moved toward the body to take a closer look. He noted the blood soaked rug and also that he couldn't see any sign of the wound causing that circumstance. After glancing about the room very briefly, he bent over and slowly rolled the body onto its back. After a few moments, he appeared to find what he was looking for and then rolled Copperton's body back over. More blood started to spill out onto the rug.

Kingsley responded with a loud gasp. Since Gaerfield's frame had blocked his view, he hadn't seen whatever the Captain had observed. However, he certainly saw the blood pooling as Copperton was rolled back onto his face.

Narrowing his eyes, Gaerfield returned his gaze to the distraught banker. "What happened here?"

Kingsley again blinked his eyes. "I… I… I don't know. My bodyguard… Copperton… he… he just returned from an errand. He opened the door… he stood there… then just fell over dead. It's just terrible. I've never before seen anything like that."

Gaerfield grabbed Kingsley's wrists to examine his hands. "You know any magic?"

There was nothing to see on Kingsley's hands, but he was trembling. "Magic? I… I… I'm with the Bankers Guild. I don't know any useful magic. I don't understand."

Gaerfield glared at him for a lengthy moment. "Full name?"

"My… my name? Kingsley… Arnaud Kingsley, Bankers Guild of Wayrest. I'm here for the trade summit… of course."

The Guard Captain shifted his gaze toward the other two. "Your names?"

Edwyn responded first. "Edwyn Northwind, Wayrest Merchants Guild. Also here for the trade summit. This is Yurma gra-Sharma of the Wayrest Fighters Guild. My bodyguard."

Gaerfield stared at the Orcish woman for a longer moment, then shifted his eyes back to Kingsley. "You know each other?"

"Well, yes… from Wayrest… Northwind and I have had dealings before… and we've spoken here… of… of course."

The Guard Captain gestured toward Copperton's body. "You were alone when this happened?"

"Well… well, yes. Northwind… Edwyn… he and his bodyguard only came here after hearing me calling out for help. His… his quarters are just a bit further along… I believe."

Gaerfield released a heavy sigh. "Right, I'm going to need to go through everything in proper detail." He indicated inside the guest quarters.

Kingsley shuffled a step backward, bumping into the guard behind him. "I can't possibly go in there. Not with just Copperton just lying there… lying there dead."

Clearing his throat, Edwyn spoke up. "Our quarters are just around the corner, effectively next door. Perhaps, that might be a better place."

Gaerfield huffed again, then returned a subtle nod. "Very well." He looked to the guard near Kingsley. "Greenham, isn't it? Go get some help to clean up this mess." He looked to the other guard near Edwyn and Yurma. "Stay here until he gets back." He took Kingsley by the shoulder, as he looked to the other two. "With me. We'll take this next door." He gestured for Edwyn and Yurma to head back toward their quarters.

* * *

A few moments later, they were all together in Edwyn's guest suite, with one of the other guards standing vigil outside. After waiting for Kingsley to take a glass of water, the Captain of the Royal Guard directed each of them to sit down. Edwyn and Yurma sat down upon one of the sofas. Kingsley sat down on the other sofa directly opposite. Gaerfield remained standing, effectively looming over them.

With a stern expression, Gaerfield then pressed Kingsley to explain exactly where his bodyguard had gone off to before returning to him.

Kingsley nodded nervously. "Well… well, not long after seven, I sent Copperton off to deliver a message to LeBlanc. Andre LeBlanc, of Daggerfall's Bankers. He's the representative attending the trade summit. He's not staying up here in the castle, but I had his home address. He lives down in Castle Town."

The Guard Captain interrupted. "What was that about?"

"About a… about a proposal for discussion… at the summit… specifically, regarding certain banking interests in Daggerfall."

"LeBlanc… was he expecting your man?"

"Well… well, sort of. Not necessarily this evening, but I did tell him that I'd be sending him some written material to examine. I thought it better to get that to him as early as possible."

"Where were you just before that?" Though Gaerfield's primary attention remained upon Kingsley, his eyes flickered briefly toward both Edwyn and Yurma.

Kingsley nodded. "Well, before that… before that, we'd just come from the Grand Hall… the summit meeting… with Edwyn and his bodyguard. Copperton was with me then, of course. After speaking briefly at my door, Copperton and I went into my quarters and they went here… directly, I expect."

"Yes, that's right." Edwyn presumed that it was appropriate to confirm that detail.

Gaerfield looked directly to Edwyn. "You were in here since that time?"

"Yes." Edwyn returned a firm nod.

"Both of you?"

Edwyn remained resolute. "Yes, that's right. A servant came to take orders for meals, and then another came along a little later to deliver them. We'd eaten, then I was going over some papers when we heard the… the trouble."

Gaerfield returned his gaze to Kingsley. "After your bodyguard left on the errand?"

Kingsley shrugged. "Well… well, I was also visited by a servant, then another bringing an evening meal. Aside from that, I was alone in my quarters until Copperton returned, then… then…" He shook his head with a bewildered expression.

With a thoughtful frown, the Guard Captain nodded his head. "I see. You have any adversaries or enemies here?"

Kingsley shook his head with wide eyes. "Enemies? No, no… not that I know of. At most… well, there's always some rivalry between the bankers of Wayrest and Daggerfall… but enemies? Like that? Not at all. Not that I know of."

"What about your man, Copperton?"

Kingsley shrugged again. "Not… not anything I know of. I don't even know of anyone who he might know here in Daggerfall. He's been with me almost constantly since we arrived here… except when I've been in the Grand Hall."

Yurma made a subtle noise, before speaking. "Copperton's been talking with other bodyguards outside the Grand Hall. A few of the talkative ones. All seemed pretty friendly, but didn't seem like nothing important being said. Just tall tales and such."

Gaerfield looked to her for a moment. "You know him at all?"

Yurma shrugged, shaking her head. "Never met him before. I'm Fighters Guild. Don't usually have much to do with Bankers Guild people."

Edwyn had a question. "Just before, you mentioned magic. Do you know what… how Copperton died?"

Gaerfield's gaze flickered again between each of the other three. He seemed to have decided that Kingsley knew nothing beyond what he'd said. He released a huffy sigh. "Yes, I think so." He paused. "He was stabbed. Stabbed with an ice shard. Up under his armpit. It was just melting away as I examined it, leaving an open wound to bleed out. Makes sense that it was done using magic."

Edwyn glanced about the other faces with a confused expression. "How could he possibly have made it so far with an injury like that, and not said anything to anyone? Wouldn't somebody have noticed?"

Gaerfield nodded grimly. "Yes. I have to wonder how he would be able to make it past the Royal Guard in such a state. It seems hard to imagine how he could have walked very far with that kind of injury."

"Unless it happened inside the castle." Yurma made the suggestion.

The Guard Captain didn't appear to favour that suggestion. "My people would have noticed anything like that."

Yurma didn't let it go so easily. "Maybe. You'd think they should have noticed… unless someone real quiet attacked him just nearby… not far from that door… and managed to keep him quiet as well."

Gaerfield's eyes narrowed. "There was something else. On the body. A pale coloured powdery dust about his neck." He gestured about his own neck with his gauntlet.

Kingsley's eyes widened. "Oh… I didn't really pay attention at the time… or really notice… given the circumstances."

"Notice what?" Gaerfield pressed him.

Kingsley gestured about his own neck. "Not a… not powder or dust, but just before he fell… I noticed that Copperton had a white kerchief tucked into the top of his vest. I'm fairly certain that he didn't have that before. Not that I recall."

Gaerfield's brow furrowed once again. "I saw nothing at all like that. Just that powdered…" He huffed again with a sigh of annoyance.

Yurma seemed to have guessed at what the Captain was thinking. "Something enchanted. Something meant to just crumble away like a used up spell scroll."

Both Edwyn and Kingsley appeared slightly confused, but the Guard Captain's expression indicated that it made sense to him. At the same time, he didn't appear at all pleased by the idea.

Shaking his head, Gaerfield spoke again. "That kind of thing doesn't get done without reason."

Yurma voiced her opinion. "Like an assassin, or the like."

Kingsley's confusion was mixed with his measure of distress. "Assassin? Why would someone go to such trouble to kill Copperton?"

Gaerfield's expression remained grim. "Doesn't look obvious. Either Copperton had enemies, or it was done to get to you, or just send a message."

"A… a message?" Kingsley shifted uncomfortably, fidgeting with his fingers.

The Guard Captain shrugged in his armour. "If it is a message, it's not an obvious one. At least, not yet. It could well be that Copperton has been dealing with things he shouldn't be, or else had accidentally seen something or someone he shouldn't have."

Yurma looked as though she was thinking upon the details or certain other ideas, but chose to keep them to herself.

Gaerfield shifted, briefly glancing toward the door. "I need to inform the appropriate persons of this matter."

Edwyn frowned. "Will we be safe here, after this?"

The Guard Captain nodded. "My people will be on alert."

Kingsley didn't appear at all reassured. "But… but what about me?"

Gaerfield maintained an air of confidence. "One of my people will be guarding your room. Both of your rooms, just in case." He looked directly to Kingsley. "You can go back to your quarters after everything is cleaned up."

Kingsley still appeared distressed. "But… but, without a bodyguard…"

Gaerfield cut him off. "As I said, you'll have one of my people watching over you. Unless you make other arrangements, as long as you're in Castle Daggerfall, one of the Royal Guard will watch over you."

Noting Kingsley's discomfort, Edwyn tried to reassure. "Until your quarters are sorted, you can stay here with us."

Gaerfield agreed. "That's for the best. A Royal Guard will come for you, as soon the room is ready and will remain just outside your door. If there's anything of concern, let the guard know about it immediately."

With a sharp nod of his helmeted head, the Royal Guard Captain turned about and departed the guest suite to be on his way.

Noticing the unopened bottle of wine still sitting upon the table, Kingsley gestured toward it. "Do you think that wine is alright?"

Edwyn understood his meaning. "Yurma can check it for you, to be certain."

The Orcish woman looked to finding a glass and opening the wine. She had no intention of relaxing her guard, but she certainly held no objection over anything that might help calm the agitated banker. At least for as long she needed to keep watch over him. In spite of the circumstances, or perhaps because of them, she'd be glad to be handing Kingsley over to the Royal Guard. Her primary job was to serve as Northwind's bodyguard. Without any certainty in her mind, it seemed that either Kingsley or Copperton had just made her task a little more difficult. Without speaking of it, she recalled thinking that her current contract would be more boring than dangerous. That earlier estimate was just starting to seem a bit off the mark.

~O~


	12. Chapter 12

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 12

Loredas the 3rd of Evening Star 4E71 Morning

Edwyn Northwind stirred from fitful slumber. Without yet shifting from the bed, he realised that he'd heard a noise inside the guest quarters. He quickly recognised that it came from the bathroom in the other rear corner of the suite. He made the reasonable assumption that it had to be Yurma. After all, with one of Castle Daggerfall's Royal Guard posted just outside the door and his Orcish bodyguard inside, anything else seemed fairly unlikely. Though he gained no comfort from the notion, he expected that if anyone meant him great harm and was capable of getting past those measures, then he probably wouldn't be lying there awake to ponder that possibility.

The movement of his Orcish bodyguard departing the bathroom confirmed his expectation, setting his mind at relative ease.

Without even looking in his direction, Yurma spoke up. "You should probably think about getting up. Gotta be after seven."

Edwyn was again mildly surprised by her ability to sense that he was already awake from some distance away, before he'd even made any sort of effort to alert her to that circumstance. He returned no direct response, as a mild sigh transformed into a bit of yawn.

Recognising the need to begin the day, Edwyn rose and headed for the suite's bathroom. After attending to the pressing call of nature, he proceeded with the other mundane tasks of washing and shaving. Since Yurma had already seen to it that the small boiler in the bathroom was operating, some hotter water was readily available.

Thoughts of the events of the previous evening remained fresh in his mind. After the Guard Captain had departed the guest suite, some time passed reassuring the distraught Arnaud Kingsley in the wake of the murder of his bodyguard. Kingsley passed most of that time drinking down wine until a guard finally arrived to escort him back to his cleaned up room.

Without any great certainty of the exact hour, Edwyn suspected that it might well have been some time after midnight by the time that his head hit the pillow. As tired as he had been, he fell asleep quickly enough. Still, it hardly seemed a peaceful slumber. Though he recalled no disturbing dreams, he vaguely remembered waking a number of times throughout the early hours. He'd probably managed adequate sleep, but he didn't feel so perfectly rested.

Once he was done with the bathroom, Edwyn looked to dressing in the clothes he'd be wearing that day at summit meetings. Avoiding the back and forth over whether it was cool enough or too warm for his heavy blue coat, he put it on, but left the front unbuttoned.

Just as Edwyn was putting on his coat, a knock was heard at the door. Yurma attended to it and quickly learned that it was a server making rounds with a push trolley carrying morning meals. She also learned that a Royal Guard was still posted just outside, just as Captain Gaerfield had suggested. It wasn't the same one as the previous evening, but a Royal Guard nonetheless.

Coming over to see what was on the trolley, though his appetite seemed diminished, Edwyn's belly had other ideas. With that in mind, he acquired something suitable from the server and a second portion for Yurma. He was actually feeling a little more interested in the tea than the sweetbreads, but acknowledged that he should eat something of substance.

Soon enough, Edwyn and Yurma were seated at that small table, eating and sipping at mugs of tea.

After finishing his sweetbread, the relative silence of the room made Edwyn feel uncomfortable. Nursing his mug of tea, he voiced an idle thought. "I wonder if… if that business outside, might serve to disturb the official proceedings this morning?"

Yurma wrinkled her nose. "Can't see it."

Edwyn looked to her with unspoken question.

After taking a small sip of tea, she continued. "Reckon there'll be more guards about and the like, but can't see everything stopping. Not just for some Wayrest bodyguard."

Edwyn frowned at her blunt commentary. "Surely, you'd think that a death like that… actually within the walls of the castle… would represent a… a raised level of alarm… or something?"

Yurma shrugged. "Yeah, something. Reckon that the guards will be on raised alert, but probably without trying to rattle anyone else." She took another short sip. "Still dunno if Copperton just got himself killed… or whether there was something else to it. Coulda been either. Might never know."

Edwyn looked back with narrowed eyes. "Do you really believe that?"

Considering the last remainder of her sweetbread, Yurma shrugged again. "Not really. Maybe. Maybe, if he was just killed like that somewhere in town and then left out behind a house or something. Even with that ice shard stabbed up into him." She shook her head slightly. "But with that stuff on his neck… whatever it was… that seems like something else to me. Dunno what, but something else."

Edwyn swallowed a sip of tea, shaking his head. "I can't say that I know much at all about that sort of thing, but the whole thing seems very suspicious to me."

Yurma nodded subtly. "Yeah, suspicious. I'm likely to think that unless Copperton was up to something here in Daggerfall, it's probably about Kingsley."

Edwyn's silent expression indicated that he wasn't perfectly sure what she meant.

Yurma elaborated. "Like Gaerfield said, it could be like someone's trying send a message… or a serious threat… to Kingsley. Like they don't want him dead, but want him real shaken up. Or else, all that effort could've been used to kill him, instead of a bodyguard."

Edwyn shook his head. "But who would…?"

"Dunno. Maybe he's pissed off that LeBlanc, or maybe some of the other bankers in Daggerfall. Could be something else altogether. Dunno."

Edwyn stared into his tea with a sober expression. "I'm now beginning to wonder if Lord Flyte was actually intentionally poisoned… and he was just very lucky to come through it relatively unscathed."

"Yeah well, I already said that before, but might never know about that either." Yurma didn't seem to have anything more to add. She instead concentrated upon quietly finishing her morning meal.

Edwyn took a larger sip of his tea. He wasn't feeling particularly reassured. Even if Kingsley's bodyguard had been killed for some reason not connected to anything related to the trade summit, the fact that he died inside the castle remained a matter of concern. If there was any connection between Flyte's illness and Copperton's demise, then that seemed an even more disturbing consideration. He didn't know which possibility represented the greater cause for concern. He didn't find any sense of ease in the prospect of gaining direct awareness of exactly what might be going on. More to the point, he was hoping that he wouldn't be finding out the hard way. He was really hoping that he hadn't inadvertently drawn the attention of the wrong people, merely by casual association.

After finishing with their food, Yurma tidied up the aftermath, with the intent of taking the trays outside when they departed.

Edwyn looked to gathering up his documents and securing them in his satchel. He was fully intending to be early in getting over to the Grand Hall that morning. He was also intending to deliver a document to Consul Carvain that morning. He made the reasonable presumption that the Consul meant for submissions to be handed over at the Grand Hall, rather than at his office.

By Edwyn's estimate, it was likely not yet quite nine by the time that he'd decided that he was ready to go. Of course by then, Yurma was already fully dressed in her armour with her weapons in place. Since he'd been giving some thought to checking on Kingsley along the way, Edwyn decided it better to go sooner, rather than later.

Departing the guest suite, Yurma took out the trays from the morning meals to leave outside before locking the door. The Royal Guard standing by the door took interest in their departure. He advised that he was only actually required to remain there for as long they were inside. Since they were apparently off for the day, he would be leaving that posting behind.

Just around the corner, another Royal Guard was still standing vigil outside the door to Kingsley's guest quarters. That served as confirmation that he was surely still in there.

Since that guard was not one of those who had been there the previous evening, Edwyn needed to explain himself, his connection to Kingsley, and the presence of both himself and bodyguard during the activities of the night before.

Once the guard was satisfied, Edwyn knocked at the door to Kingsley's guest quarters. A slightly longer than expected moment passed before a key was heard in the lock of the heavy timber door and it began to slowly open.

A somewhat weary looking Arnaud Kingsley appeared in the doorway. "Oh…er, Edwyn. Er, good of you… to er… to drop by. I expect that you're on your way to the Grand Hall?"

Edwyn managed a mild smile. "Yes, I thought it appropriate… to see how you were."

Kingsley nodded awkwardly. "Yes, well… please, do come in, do come in. I'm almost ready to go."

Edwyn hesitated only briefly, then accepted the invitation to come in. Yurma followed along and closed the door behind herself. Of course though Edwyn came inside a little further, Yurma chose to remain by the door.

Kingsley mumbled distractedly about taking a moment to gather up his documents, then looked about for his coat. As he was putting on his coat, he mentioned that the Captain of the Guard had stopped by briefly again that morning and advised that he should remain quiet about specific details of Copperton's demise until a proper investigation was completed. After another distracted moment, Kingsley decided that he was ready and they were on their way.

* * *

Making their way along the corridors of the southern wing of the castle. The intermittent movement of some staff seemed fairly typical of expectation. At the same time, it did appear obvious that there were more guards about than on the previous day. Those posted at certain places seemed normal. However, the movement of guards along the halls and corridors seemed more like patrols, rather than just the regular movement of personnel about the castle.

Since leaving his room, Kingsley had remained quiet and appeared to project rather less than his regular measure of confidence and composure. Given the events of the previous evening, Edwyn imagined that he'd hardly be faring any better, had their roles been reversed.

Soon enough, they were passing just near to the main entryway of Castle Daggerfall, where the paths from the southern and northern wings converged. A couple of people who had just come in through the main doors were still conversing with guards just inside. Another couple of local Bretons had just finished with those guards and were just headed through the entry hall into the castle proper.

Looking off in the opposite direction, Edwyn noticed two of the Redguard delegates already on their way along the corridor leading toward the Grand Hall with their armed bodyguards behind them.

"Kingsley. A moment?" The call came from a plump Breton man of rather pallid complexion, with strands of thinning hair stretched across his balding head. The expensive cut of his attire and jewelled adornments appeared as notable contrast to the man beneath them.

Edwyn felt certain that he'd seen the other man at that gathering the other evening and then again at the first summit meeting, but wasn't exactly sure who he was.

Kingsley's response clearly identified the other man. "LeBlanc… er, good morning to you."

Keeping his tone only slightly subdued, the Daggerfall banker continued. "Kingsley, I had an Imperial Inspector at my house earlier this morning. He was asking me all sorts of pointed questions about your attendant, the one you sent to deliver those papers to me last evening. Apparently, he was attacked at some point after leaving my home. That annoying Inspector seemed determined to insinuate that I had something to do with it." LeBlanc only briefly looked to the Royal Guard shadowing Kingsley and apparently chose to ignore his presence.

Kingsley shook his head. "Terrible business. I've not before seen… I, er… well, I should say… that I also endured the questions of the Guard Captain of the castle over the matter. Of course, I have no idea why someone might have… might have attacked my man, Copperton. I certainly told him as much."

Andre LeBlanc appeared outwardly irked. "That Inspector… he seemed to think that it had something to do with disputes between the banking institutions of Daggerfall and Wayrest, or that I was somehow involved in the matter. Of course, I told him that was complete and utter nonsense. That's not at all the way things are done."

"No, no not all." Kingsley readily agreed.

LeBlanc maintained his indignant expression. "In the case of such disputes, any objections would be made directly and openly."

"Quite so, quite so." Kingsley nodded in animated fashion.

LeBlanc suddenly shifted his attention toward Edwyn. "You're Merchants Guild, aren't you? Out of Wayrest?"

"Yes, that's right. Edwyn Northwind."

Leblanc frowned. "Northwind? Related to those traders up in Wayrest?"

"That's right."

"I take it that you've not had any troubles here? With either yourself or your bodyguard?" He cast a dark look in the direction of Yurma, avoiding making any sort of eye contact with the Orc.

Edwyn shook his head. "No. No trouble at all. Other than being nearby when… when Kingsley learned of his bodyguard's ah... well, his being attacked."

Leblanc indicated the lightly armoured Breton man at his back in an offhanded manner. "Before learning of that matter of the previous evening, I'd not seen the need for an escort about town to follow me up here to the castle. Still not certain of it. Even so, I've engaged someone from the Fighters Guild for that purpose."

"A wise precaution." Kingsley expressed his agreement.

LeBlanc nodded. "Yes well, hopefully an unnecessary one, nonetheless."

At that moment, Edwyn noticed Marie Lafont passing by on her way toward the Grand Hall. She appeared to have just come from the direction of the castle's southern wing. It hadn't crossed his mind before, since she'd not made any mention of it, but he noticed that she didn't have a bodyguard escorting her. He expected that Yurma might have previously noticed that as Lafont departed the Grand Hall ahead of him, but she'd not mentioned it at all.

Responding to LeBlanc's comments, Kingsley gestured in the direction of the Royal Guard standing nearby. "Whether necessary or otherwise, with the absence of my bodyguard, the Captain of the castle's guards has assigned his people to watch over me. At least provided that I remain at the castle."

LeBlanc nodded again. "Yes well, you couldn't be in better hands, I'm sure." He cast only a passing glance toward the guard. The guard responded in no noticeable fashion.

The moment was interrupted by a potent gust of wind, as the main doors were opened to allow someone inside. Lord Flyte and his armoured knight paused a short moment as the guards formally granted passage to allow them back inside.

LeBlanc excused himself, just as Lord Flyte was enthusiastically waving his hand in their direction. The Lord of Anticlere's expression indicated that he was coming over to join the group. It wasn't immediately clear whether Flyte was most interested in seeing Edwyn, Kingsley or the both of them. In any case, friendly greetings were quickly exchanged.

Lord Flyte gestured back toward the main doors. "The weather has taken a terrible turn this morning. From look of the skies, it very much looks like foul weather ahead. I'd say there's serious indication of a storm brewing out over the bay. If I'd left my morning walk any later, I imagine there's a good chance that I might have run the risk of ruining my coat."

Kingsley remained distracted. "Sounds… terrible."

Edwyn responded to the Lord's comments. "Within the walls of the castle, it seems difficult to tell much of the weather outside."

"Yes, yes, I expect that the walls of Castle Daggerfall have weathered many a serious storm over the years, with hardly any… any cause for concern for those within." Flyte fidgeted with that ornate clasp affixed to his coat as he looked about. He seemed distracted by something. "You know, one might think that something seems slightly amiss this morning. There does seem to be quite a few more of the Royal Guards making the rounds of the castle this morning. More so, than I recall from previous days." Glancing toward Yurma, Flyte then looked to the guard standing a few paces behind Kingsley with a curious frown.

Kingsley cleared his throat, recognising what Lord Flyte was noticing. "Yes well, there was an… an incident. My bodyguard… he was attacked returning from an errand in town last evening. The er… the Captain of the Guard has been kind enough to task his people with serving as my bodyguard within the castle."

Lord Flyte continued frowning as Kingsley spoke, then finally raised his eyebrows in surprise. It seemed that he'd managed to draw some sort of clarity from what was not clearly stated. He again glanced briefly to the guard behind Kingsley. "Oh, oh my. I see. Please, say no more."

Kingsley glanced back toward the guard with a nervous expression.

Gesturing to his armoured bodyguard, Lord Flyte took possession of the satchel that Sir Dalric carried for him and affected a broad smile. "Well, I suppose that we'd best be making our way for the Grand Hall. After all, we don't want the proceedings to be held up on our account."

Murmurs of general agreement were uttered and they were again on their way.

* * *

Arriving at the doors to the Grand Hall, as before, both Yurma and Sir Dalric remained out in the anteroom along with the other bodyguards. Yurma found herself a spot to sit along the bench seats. Also just as before, Flyte's bodyguard elected to remain standing on his own in the corner. Though not choosing to sit with the other bodyguards, the Royal Guard assigned to Kingsley immediately appeared more relaxed.

Inside the Grand Hall, after another brief exchange with Lord Flyte, the Lord headed for his second row seating and Kingsley headed toward where he'd been seated the previous afternoon.

Spotting the Imperial Consul standing near the front wall, Edwyn headed directly for Carvain to hand over that submission he'd prepared the previous evening. After exchanging a friendly greeting with the Consul and handing over those papers, he then made his way for that seat in the fifth row between Kingsley and Lafont. A staff attendant intercepted him along the way, wanting to confirm who he was and that he was taking his proper seat.

Other attendant staff flittered about the Grand Hall, setting glasses of water upon tables and delivering documents for perusal. A few other slightly later arrivals continued to find their seats or were guided toward them.

Aside from acknowledging his presence and offering a subdued greeting, Marie Lafont seemed far more interested in perusing the documents than indulging in conversation. It was also fair to note that Kingsley was easily far less talkative than he'd been the previous afternoon. Without inquiring, he wondered whether something contentious had passed between the two of them as he was speaking with the Consul.

Leaving that passing thought aside, Edwyn looked over the documents provided as he waited for things get under way. Just one more interruption took place as staff attendants moved along the rows taking orders for midday meals to be delivered to their respective quarters during that recess.

It had to be very near to ten, if not just after, as Prince Regent Gothryd and Imperial Trade Minister Vici arrived via that other entrance at the corner to the right of the podium. After exchanging a few words with Carvain, they headed for their seats in the front row.

Once it became clear that everyone had arrived and was properly settled, Consul Carvain finally took to the podium and called the meeting to order.

After extending mercifully brief greetings, Carvain went on to direct attention to the provided documents and briefly outline the schedule for the day. Evidently seeking to head off any likely questions, he volunteered confirmation that the matters of piracy and smuggling would be added to the agenda of following days. He also indicated that other items only just submitted would be examined for consideration in due course.

The remainder of the morning proved hardly so interesting to anyone other those directly involved in what was examined at any particular point. There were tedious discussions addressing the established trading of salt shipments between certain regions. Matters regarding the wheat trade and related grain reserves seemed only marginally more engaging. Provided that there were no notable shortages due to supply or transport and that there was no discord between those at either end of the market chain, it seemed relatively straightforward, based upon what had been previously established.

There were other discussions pertaining to certain items of trade coming from Morrowind and Skyrim via the East Empire Trading Company contracts and some more independent operations. There was some minor grumbling over the pricing of certain unique produce from Morrowind. The more exotic Kwama eggs certainly fell into that category. In a fairly self-evident fashion, explanations of the special shipping costs involving the transport of chilled produce from the eastern province quickly took the wind from the sails of any dispute.

Most of what was discussed that morning largely followed a similar pattern. After either boisterous or subdued discussion of various items, in the case of each issue, delegates were called to cast votes over whether to maintain the status quo or make certain adjustments.

More than once, Edwyn had found himself mildly distracted by the Cherim tapestry upon the wall behind the dais. It commonly presented as a far more engaging distraction than some of the matters at hand.

In general terms, nothing was really about the brokerage of specific trade deals, but more about reaffirming the broader frameworks of existing arrangements between certain regions. Anything regarding specific agreements between specific parties would come later.

Not too long after noon, Carvain called for the midday break, advising that meetings would resume once again at two. With a little under two hours, there seemed ample time for everyone to make it back to wherever they were headed and then make it back again. Even so, it seemed nobody was slow to move, except for the minor crush of bodies trying to make it through the opened doors of the primary exit. Edwyn had been half expecting that Lord Flyte might try to engage in further conversation, but he also appeared motivated to get out as quickly as possible. Though Kingsley seemed inclined to remain in Edwyn's company, Lafont had quietly dashed off ahead as quickly as she could.

As they were waiting for the crowd ahead to pass through the doors, Edwyn passed an idle comment, remarking that Lafont seemed even more reserved than before that morning.

Kingsley nodded distractedly. "Yes well, she asked me about my bodyguard when I first sat down."

Edwyn frowned. "What did you tell her?"

Kingsley cleared his throat. "Yes well, she said that she'd heard there was some sort of disturbance last night… and seemed to have already deduced that it had something to do with that Royal Guard escorting me this morning." Edwyn's expression prompted him to continue. "I said only that my bodyguard had been attacked while returning from an errand in the city. She did press me to confirm where that occurred, but I didn't actual say. I'd say that she made the leap that it might have been within the castle."

Edwyn released a little sigh. "Gaerfield won't be at all pleased, if that rumour starts getting about."

Kingsley shook his head. "Lafont doesn't seem like the type to gossip… but she did seem concerned… and she doesn't know nearly as much of it, as we have endured. I just hope that there's nothing more to it."

"On that, I certainly agree." Edwyn gestured ahead, as the opportunity of relatively clear passage to the anteroom became evident.

Once they were rejoined by Yurma and that Royal Guard assigned to Kingsley, they moved along at a steady pace, headed back toward their respective quarters in the southern wing of Castle Daggerfall.

~O~


	13. Chapter 13

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 13

Loredas the 3rd of Evening Star 4E71 Afternoon

After leaving Arnaud Kingsley in his guest suite with that Royal Guard standing vigil at his door, Edwyn and Yurma continued onward, returning to their own quarters, located just around the corner.

Along the way back from the vicinity of the Grand Hall, they'd passed several other castle guards moving about the corridors and halls. They also passed some staff with serving carts moving along certain halls. Until he'd arrived at his suite, Kingsley had remained mostly silent. He only spoke up in a distracted manner to mention that he intended see Edwyn again for the afternoon session of summit meetings, then headed on inside.

Edwyn and Yurma had only been back inside the guest suite for a few moments when a knock was heard at the door. As reasonably expected, it was one of the castle staff delivering food and drink as per request. It was actually more the case that only Edwyn was expecting it, as he hadn't yet mentioned that he'd ordered meals for the both of them while he was still in the Grand Hall. Yurma knew only that they were headed back to the guest suite for the midday recess.

According to recently established ritual, Yurma took possession of the food delivery, with the intent of checking all of it over beforehand. Edwyn briefly dashed off for the bathroom facilities in the rear of the suite.

By the time that Edwyn had returned to take his seat at the small table, Yurma had already declared the soup untainted, by her best estimate. A relative silence fell as they started eating.

About half way through her soup, Yurma spoke up again. "When do we need to be back over at the Grand Hall?"

Edwyn swallowed a spoonful of the thick and spicy soup. "The meetings… they resume at two."

Her silent shrug and nod seemed to indicate casual acceptance.

With a somewhat thoughtful expression, Edwyn continued to work his way through his soup.

A few moments later, Yurma had finished her soup and taken a sip of water. She posed casual inquiry. "Anything unusual in there this morning… in the Grand Hall?"

Frowning as he worked at the last of his soup, Edwyn swallowed before framing a response. "Unusual? Well, ah… well, not really. It was mostly tedious business at the meeting."

"About?"

Edwyn blinked in slight surprise. "Well, nothing unusual. Talk of general regional trade policy and the like. Salt supply, wheat and other grains… some of the produce supply coming from Morrowind and so on."

"Nothing or no one out of place… or behaving oddly?"

Edwyn frowned again, uncertain of what she was inferring. "No, not noticeably. Only perhaps that Kingsley has become distracted and nervous, but…" He shook his head.

"That ain't hard to spot… Kingsley… but nothing else?"

Edwyn again shook his head, with a concerned expression. "No. Not that I noticed."

Yurma took another sip of water. "Saw that Mariners Guild woman moving off in a hurry, when everyone was coming out."

Edwyn nodded slowly, with his mouth half-open. "Oh, that. Lafont spoke with Kingsley as I was with Consul Carvain. She, ah… she seemed to know something was going on last night and that it had something to do with Kingsley's guard escort this morning."

Yurma's expression prompted him to continue.

"Well, he told her that his bodyguard had been attacked, but no more than that."

Frowning, Yurma released a huffy sigh.

Edwyn felt that there was something that she wasn't telling him. "Did something… something unusual happen outside the Grand Hall this morning?"

Yurma shrugged. "Maybe. Sorta. The other bodyguards outside the Grand Hall… I heard some talk about Copperton being missing. Mostly from a Breton and an Imperial he'd been talking to yesterday."

"What were they saying?"

She shrugged again. "Nothing much. Didn't seem like they really knew him… or knew anything about why he wasn't there. Just noticed he wasn't there."

"Did they ask you about it?"

Wrinkling her nose, Yurma shook her head slightly. "Didn't seem to know I knew anything about anything… or maybe just not likely to talk to an Orc. Just about nobody talks to that other Orc there either… not that he seems like he wants to talk to anybody."

Edwyn shook his head a little. "So… what did you actually hear?"

Shrugging again, Yurma responded in casual tone. "Yeah, like I said… not much. A bit of speculating about something going on last night. And some talk about noticing a few more guards moving about that morning. Alcaire's Knight tried to see if any of the Royal Guard would say anything about the rumours of a disturbance last night, but they weren't saying nothing."

"Alcaire's Knight... oh, right." Edwyn mumbled to himself, before nodding. He quickly recalled that the Duke of Alcaire also had a Knight of the Flame in his service.

Yurma passed another comment. "Dunno what it's about, but Alcaire's Knight and Sir Dalric don't seem real friendly. But then… Flyte's Knight doesn't seem friendly with anyone."

Edwyn looked to Yurma with unspoken question in his eyes.

Yurma wrinkled her nose again. "Yeah, dunno… something about Dalric just seems off to me. The way he keeps his helmet on with the visor down… and just stands about like that and talks to no one at all. If he didn't shift his weight every so often, I'd swear there was nobody inside that armour."

It was Edwyn's turn to shrug. "Perhaps… perhaps he is just…"

Yurma waved her hand. "Yeah, probably just real dedicated and disciplined… as a Knight of the Flame… and with his sworn fealty to Lord Flyte, and all that. I s'pose listening to Flyte all day probably makes him want things to stay real quiet."

"I wouldn't think it wise to say any of that in unfamiliar company."

Yurma snorted. "Course not. Still, that Dalric… he just seems… I dunno, different somehow. That other knight from Alcaire seems full of himself. Same as that Battlemage with the Menevian Countess. The Redguards keep to themselves, like that other Orc. But other than that, they seem… fairly normal. Same with most of the other bodyguards I've seen."

Edwyn shook his head. "What are you trying to say? Do you have suspicions… what with Sir Dalric… or one of the other bodyguards?"

Yurma's brow furrowed. "Dunno. Maybe. Dunno why or how Kingsley's bodyguard got himself killed, but after that, it pays to be… cautious. And maybe, Sir Dalric is just watching everyone else real close, like I am. But… just don't find it easy to trust someone who never shows his face… or hardly speaks."

Edwyn's frown directly mirrored Yurma's expression. "You're not doing a fine job of putting my mind at ease."

Yurma sighed and shrugged again. "Can't be helped. If Copperton's death was just a one off thing and that's the end of it… well good. If it ain't… then I need to be thinking like it ain't."

Edwyn released a heavy sigh. Only a few days before, he thought the notion of having a bodyguard assigned to him reasonably absurd. Though not at all sanguine over the thought of actually needing one, he was felling just somewhat gratified over having the well-trained Orcish Guild Fighter watching over him.

* * *

After finishing with their meals and tidying up, Edwyn took a moment to very briefly go over some documents, then visit the bathroom once more before deciding that he really shouldn't waste any more time before making his way back over the Grand Hall of Castle Daggerfall.

Of course, Yurma was already fully prepared to go before Edwyn had made his declaration. Since no one had come back to collect the dishes and trays, she made a point of again taking all that to leave outside. She really didn't want to encourage any need for any servants to be coming inside when they weren't there.

Locking the heavy timber door behind themselves, Edwyn and Yurma headed off along the increasingly familiar corridor. Just around the first corner, they observed that Royal Guard still standing at the door to Kingsley's guest quarters.

Though not initially intending to stop there, Edwyn changed his mind. He passed casual inquiry with the guard, confirming that Kingsley was still there, then knocked at the door.

A short pause passed before Kingsley responded at the door, appearing only slightly ill at ease. He didn't appear particularly surprised to see Edwyn at his door. Rather than inviting him in, Kingsley mentioned that he was not intending to cause any delay and that he was just about to depart. Edwyn waited in the open doorway as the Wayrest banker hurriedly shoved his documents into his satchel, then appeared ready to go.

Edwyn felt the need to remind Kingsley to lock his door, since it seemed that he was going to leave without remembering to do so. After that, they were again on their way.

Along the halls and corridors of the castle, the movement of various staff and castle guards seemed much like earlier. Perhaps, even just a little busier than before.

The activity only appeared a little quieter about the doors of the castle's main entrance. Edwyn passed an idle comment to that effect. His words prompted to Yurma to speak up. She mentioned hearing from another bodyguard that a dining hall had been set aside for Daggerfall locals to take their midday breaks. Edwyn accepted that detail with a silent nod.

Soon enough, they were again outside the Grand Hall. Yurma rejoined those other bodyguards taking to seats along either side of the anteroom just outside. The presence of Lord Flyte's armoured knight standing in the corner served as indication that the Lord of Anticlere was already inside.

After briefly checking in with guards at the doors, Edward and Kingsley continued onward. Most of the other delegates in attendance had already taken to seats or were still finding their way to them.

Edwyn and Kingsley returned directly to those seats they'd occupied earlier in the day. Though just a few seats remained vacant, one was more obvious to both of them.

With a distracted tone, Kingsley noted it first. "Lafont is running late."

Glancing about and looking toward the main doors, without properly articulating, Edwyn made a subdued noise of agreement. He continued to look to pulling out certain documents from his satchel.

Pausing only to also briefly glance about the room and apparently trying to gauge how long it might be before the Consul called the meeting to order, Kingsley also looked to his documents.

Looking over the document outlining the daily schedule, Edwyn released a heavy sigh. It was perhaps a little louder than he expected.

Kingsley shifted his attention toward Edwyn. "Something wrong?"

"No, no. Not at all." Edwyn sighed again. "I just find this part fairly tedious. I'd much rather get to the business of actual deals and negotiations."

Perusing the document in his hand, Kingsley nodded. "You'll not hear much argument from myself. As time goes on, it seems we pass far more time examining the framework and rule of business, than attending to the actual business of… of business." A mild smile appeared upon his face, apparently betraying his amusement over his own awkward turn of phrase.

Edwyn merely mumbled his general accord as he nodded and continued examining the schedule. He imagined that it might be even more tedious for Kingsley. Though financial interests certainly played some notable part in all other interests pertaining to large-scale trade, he expected that banking activities seemed somewhat secondary in the minds of others. At least, until it was time think otherwise.

It seemed that near everybody had returned and had taken to their seats by the time that Consul Carvain finished a brief conversation with Imperial Trade Minister Vici, and the Consul then shifted to take to the podium. It was just then that Marie Lafont finally passed through the doors of the main entrance to the Grand Hall.

Arriving so late, it seemed rather difficult for the Mariners Guild representative to avoid being noticed. With a mild frown, Consul Carvain hesitated just briefly, allowing a short moment for Lafont to take to her seat.

Lafont looked just a bit flustered, and slightly dishevelled, as she draped a damp cloak over the back of the chair, then set her bag down onto the floor by her boots. She was still pulling out some documents from her bag as the Consul called the room to order.

Aside noting her curious state and exchanging silent nods of acknowledgment, neither Edwyn nor Kingsley spoke to Lafont, instead shifting their attention toward the Consul.

Much like the morning, the afternoon summit meeting proved somewhat sluggish and tedious for some. After again mentioning that issues directly related to sea-going piracy would be properly addressed at a later point in the summit, Carvain shifted the proceedings toward the broader discussion of merchant transport operations. Since most road transport remained the interest of local concerns and independent operators, the focus of discussions revolved mostly about shipping across the waters.

At some point, Imperial Trade Minister Vici took to the dais. He spoke at some length of the Imperial Trading Company within Cyrodiil. He only briefly mentioned the network of trade warehouses across the various counties of the central province. He focussed more upon the merchant shipping interests in and out of the port of Anvil and those various ports along the Niben to the south of the Imperial City. It really seemed that his only point was reiterate a summary of the functionality of the cooperation between state sponsored and private mercantile interests within Cyrodiil.

Antonia Verus was brought up to speak briefly of the reach of the East Empire Trading Company operations across Skyrim and Morrowind. It appeared that her main purpose was to demonstrate the value on ongoing trade connecting those outlying provinces to both the Iliac Bay region and Imperial Province. Though it was clearly known to all, there was no mention of the reduced potency of the East Empire Company over the several decades since the devastation of Vvardenfell and secession of the Argonian's eastern province from the Empire.

Though Marie Lafont hadn't been invited up the podium that afternoon, her organisation was pointedly referenced and discussed with regard to its part in the greater scheme of things. Of course, the Mariners Guild of Wayrest held some influence about the lands of Iliac Bay and immediate surrounds, but carried far less of a potent voice much further afield.

The merchant shipping fleets out of Anticlere were also mentioned. Though the Flyte family's holdings remained the largest at that time, the other lesser operations collectively represented a notable portion of the bay's shipping interests.

Other various shipping interests operating out of Wayrest, Daggerfall and their immediate surrounds warranted some mention. As did the Hammerfell merchant vessels under the purview of operations based at Sentinel, Rihad and Stros M'Kai.

Perhaps reading between the lines somewhat, Edwyn briefly wondered whether something else was being gently inferred in certain discussions. He wondered whether the ongoing efficacy of the East Empire Trading Company was being challenged and if there might be some sort of consideration afoot regarding the possible expansion of the Imperial Trading Company's influence extending beyond the borders of Cyrodiil.

On one hand, Edwyn supposed that some sort of direct merging of those two state sponsored entities might well be something that the Emperor and the Elder Council might consider conceivably desirable. Though he easily imagined that certain interests within Skyrim and Morrowind might well feel quite differently.

On the other hand, Edwyn could not readily imagine that the broader mix of independent merchant shipping operations across High Rock and Hammerfell would ever consider that a state sponsored organisation could hold unbound predominance over their varied spheres of influence.

From Edwyn's understanding, the earlier expansion of the Imperial Trading Company across Cyrodiil had started during Ocato's brief rule. It had been one of several responses to the erosion of unity at the heart of the Empire during that period. That might well have been no more than a short-lived endeavour, if Emperor Titus Mede had not viewed it one of the many things he considered as vital to his efforts of reinforcing the spirit of the previous Septim Empire in the emerging paradigm.

Aside from the head office of the Imperial Trading Company in the Imperial City, regional offices and warehouses had been maintained at each of those cities of Cyrodiil administered by Counts or Countesses, as well as the emergent port of Water's Edge. Though sponsored by Imperial rule, that network served to tie together the independent merchant interests across that entire province.

However, there was most certainly no absence of existing infrastructure and well-established enterprise across regions surrounding Iliac Bay. Though possibly messy and complicated from an external view, the balance of commerce between wholly independent operators and those directly or indirectly tied to Kings, Queens, Counts, Lords, Barons and so forth worked extraordinarily well for the most part. None would take kindly to the thought of the imposition of external structures.

Given the collective volume of wealth generated and taxes paid, Edwyn hardly believed that the Emperor would really press for any sweeping changes to the status quo. At least, not in the western provinces. Even so, he wouldn't have been so surprised to learn that the East Empire Trading Company might have more of its previous autonomy challenged in the near future.

In any event, none of those things were directly raised. At most, it seemed more the case that those state sponsored trade organisations were casually held aloft as examples of the kind of thing that could potentially emerge where regional cooperation fails to achieve a workable structure that serves the best interests of Imperial unity.

Without anything of a kind being actually stated, Edwyn reasonably expected that several others might well have recognised the unspoken undertone. Expecting that he would never know the answer, he casually wondered whether that tactic was driven by the Emperor, his Trade Minister, or someone else entirely.

By the time that the meetings of the afternoon had finally run the full course, Edwyn was feeling notably weary. If not for taking small sips of water from time to time, and the occasional call to vote upon certain tediously framed resolutions, he feared that he might have easily nodded off during some of the most boring moments.

According to the Consul, it had not yet quite gone six, but everything scheduled had been attended and so he declared the meetings done for the day and indicated that the summit would again resume at ten on the following morning.

As soon as Carvain had made his declaration, Lafont had started gathering up her papers in preparation of a hasty retreat.

As much as he wanted to be out of there, Edwyn understood the likelihood of being caught in the thick of a slow moving crowd made the notion of rushing to get up seem somewhat counterproductive. Recalling Lafont's lateness and her slightly dishevelled appearance upon returning from the midday break, Edwyn hazarded a gentle inquiry. "Some urgent business, earlier in the day?"

Lafont frowned as she was trying to get her documents into her bag. "Just needed some things… from the stores… down in the city. Don't have anyone with me to send down there." Her glance flickered briefly in Kingsley's direction.

Kingsley noticed her brief gaze. Evidently, he recognised something in the framing of her words, but chose to ignore it. "I'd heard that the weather has taken a turn today."

Lafont collected her cloak from the back of her chair, draping it over her arm. "Yes it has. A bit of light rain. Apologies, but I need to get down to collect my orders before things close." Without saying any more, she turned about to make her way for the exit.

Packing up their own things more slowly, both Edwyn and Kingsley didn't really have the opportunity to offer any polite farewell, merely accepting her hastened withdrawal with unacknowledged nods.

Kingsley passed idle comment. "Lafont seems to be… harried."

Edwyn made a noise of assent. "Hmmm. She was prompting you to speak of your bodyguard, you know?"

"Yes, I noticed."

"I thought she seemed… a little questionable."

Kingsley shrugged. "Perhaps. I wonder if she heard something more about… about Copperton. She may be concerned… because of that."

Edwyn returned a shrug of his own as he fastened the flap on his satchel. "Perhaps."

Observing that he was still in the hall, Edwyn momentarily anticipated the possibility of another lengthy conversation with Lord Flyte. However, the Lord appeared busy in casual discussion with the group of Redguard. Though he'd briefly met both Sentinel Trade Minister Harim and Qasim of Stros M'Kai, Edwyn still hadn't met those other two. Though he hadn't caught the name, he become aware that one man was representing Rihad. It was only reasonable assumption that the other Redguard seemed to be Harim's assistant.

Kingsley's casual observation that the crowds about the exit had eased was enough prompting for Edwyn to agree that it was time to depart.

* * *

Leaving Castle Daggerfall's Grand Hall, Edwyn and Kingsley were joined by their respective guardians, waiting for them in the anteroom outside, and they were then on their way.

During his time inside the summit meetings, Kingsley's previously assigned guard had been relieved of duty by another. The female Breton guard of outwardly harsh aspect had rather sharply informed him that she was his new escort, saying nothing else.

Without any deviation or incident, the group proceeded through the corridors and passages to the southern wing of the castle. Kingsley offered casual farewell at the door of his guest quarters. Edwyn and Yurma headed directly for their own suite.

The earlier part of that evening passed in a predictably mundane fashion. One of the serving staff had dropped by take orders for meals. Before the requested food had arrived, another had stopped by to check on drinking water and other general items, such as fresh candles and ensuring that the reservoirs of oil lamps were topped up.

After the food had been checked and they'd started eating, Edwyn made some mention of Lafont. He noted that she'd been down to the city during the middle of the day and was late getting back to the summit meetings.

Yurma acknowledged that she'd noticed. She also directly noted that Lafont didn't have a bodyguard. She speculated that her visit down to the city might have had something to do with that.

Edwyn conceded that he didn't really know. However, he also suggested that if Lafont suspects that Kingsley's absent bodyguard was a sign of trouble, it made some sort of sense to him.

After a little more idle speculation, the topic fell aside. A few other casual things of no great import were touched upon before the small dining table was abandoned.

Long after they'd finished with meals and idle conversation, and Edwyn had retreated to peruse some documents as Yurma settled into quietly reading a book on one of the sofas, a firm knock was heard at the door.

Edwyn shifted and turned, where he was seated at that desk over the far side of the guest suite. By his estimate, it had to be well after nine. Possibly about to go ten. He thought it odd that any of the servant staff might be coming by at that late hour. He briefly considered that it might be one of Gaerfield's people checking on them.

Of course, Yurma had already set aside her book and risen from the sofa before Edwyn even had the opportunity to consider rising from his seat behind that desk. He noted that she had a dagger accessibly tucked at her back as she was unlocking the door of the guest quarters.

An Imperial man of rather ordinary appearance and dressed fairly plainly stood on the other side of the open doorway. "Inspector Marcus Attius. I'm hear to speak with Edwyn Northwind… and yourself."

"Inspector?" Edwyn sounded slightly surprised as he called out from the far side of the room.

Maintaining an alert stance, Yurma stepped aside to allow the Penitus Oculatus Inspector entry to the suite.

Inspector Attius stepped inside, moving just far enough to allow Yurma to close the door behind him. "My apologies for the late hour. I needed to speak with some others beforehand and that took a little longer than expected."

Edwyn had crossed the room to stand nearer to the other man. "I understand. How can I help."

The Inspector returned a curt nod. "I expect that you might already be aware of certain circumstances. Given some unusual occurrences and the importance of the proceedings taking place here in Daggerfall, Consul Carvain and Captain Gaerfield have tasked me with conducting appropriate investigations."

Edwyn nodded. "I heard something from ah… from LaBlanc… an associate of Kingsley's. A Daggerfall banker."

The Inspector's expression remained neutral. "Of course. I've just come from speaking with Arnaud Kingsley and Lord Flyte before that."

"Lord Flyte?" Edwyn blinked as he shook his head a little.

"Though the Lord of Anticlere seems perfectly convinced that his recent illness was not the result of anything intentional, it still warrants proper consideration. There may well be nothing to infer any connection to an incident involving Kingsley's bodyguard, but that also begs proper investigation." Of course, the Inspector was perfectly aware that was Edwyn present or nearby to both occurrences. His words seemed tailored to provoke reaction.

Edwyn responded with a slightly bewildered expression. "Well, yes… I suppose so."

The Inspector glanced briefly to Yurma, noting her outwardly defensive posture and expression. "Sir Dalric loudly objected to my investigation of the activities of his Lord."

Yurma's expression shifted, betraying mild surprise. "He spoke?"

Inspector Attius returned a muted nod. "Yes. He doesn't say much, but he can be easily provoked in defence of Lord Flyte."

Yurma frowned, trying to make sense of what was being inferred. It seemed like he was actually trying to provoke something from her.

The Penitus Oculatus Inspector gestured toward the sofas. "Perhaps, we might all be more comfortable, if we were seated."

Edwyn readily agreed with the suggestion. Yurma also shifted to take to a sofa, but her expression did little to mask her sense of suspicion over the possible motivations of the Inspector.

Once they were all seated, Inspector Attius went on to verify a few broad details about both Edwyn and Yurma. Of course, he already knew of Edwyn's position with Wayrest's Merchants Guild and his reasons for attending the summit, but went through it all again seeking minor clarification.

Attius also seemed to already know that Yurma was from Wayrest's Fighters Guild. Added to that, he was aware that she was related to former Guild Master from Chorrol's Fighters Guild. Beyond that, exactly what he already knew or didn't know wasn't immediately obvious in the framing of his questions.

The Inspector went on to further clarify certain details of specific meetings with Lord Flyte after that evening in the Grand Hall when he'd taken ill. Edwyn noticed that Attius seemed unusually interested in things Flyte might have said after his recovery from illness.

Attius eventually moved onto questions over the incident with Kingsley's bodyguard the previous evening. He had several queries aimed to probe more deeply into connections between Edwyn and Kingsley back in Wayrest and then seemed more interested in how things had changed between them over the past few days.

Though he might have been trying to hide it, Attius seemed mildly disappointed that neither Edwyn nor Yurma could tell him much about Copperton, aside from those things that he already seemed to know.

A lengthy paused seemed to suggest that the Inspector might be finished, then he suddenly looked to Edwyn with a thoughtful expression. "Tell me… your family name seems somewhat unusual for a Wayrest Breton."

Edwyn nodded. "My father was a Cyrodilic Nord. Took the Northwind name, back when he was a sailor. Out of the Imperial City."

"But your mother?"

"My mother is Altmer. Also from Cyrodiil. She still lives back in Wayrest."

"I see." Attius seemed satisfied with the explanation.

Edwyn decided to be direct with what he was thinking. "Are we… are we suspects in your investigation?"

The Inspector seemed slow to respond, glancing briefly between both Edwyn and Yurma. "No, not as such. However, it does pay to be thorough. Especially given your… proximity to certain occurrences. It seemed likely that you might have observed something I'd not yet learned of."

Though it seemed like he possibly had something else to say, Attius rose from the sofa. "I think that's enough. I won't keep you any longer. The hour grows late."

Though Edwyn hadn't moved, Yurma rose from the sofa. She shifted to open the door for the Inspector. Attius silently returned a nod of acknowledgment.

The Inspector paused at the open doorway. "Thankyou for your assistance."

Before Edwyn had the chance to respond. A member of the Royal Guard appeared by the doorway, with an anxious expression. "Inspector."

Without speaking, Attius indicated his attention.

"Captain Gaerfield sent for you. There's been an incident over in the northern wing of the castle... with the Redguards…"

Inspector Attius held up a hand. "That's enough. Brief me along the way."

The Inspector silently nodded to both Edwyn and Yurma, then left with the guard.

Yurma locked the door as soon as they were gone.

~O~


	14. Chapter 14

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 14

Sundas the 4th of Evening Star 4E71 Early Morning

Edwyn Northwind was suddenly roused from his sleep by a loud noise coming from somewhere. While he was still trying to process what he thought he'd heard, the distant sounds of more banging and shouting added to his growing measure of concern and mild panic. Of course, neither the first or second round of noises had come from anywhere inside the poorly lit guest quarters, but from somewhere outside. Even so, he didn't know that the commotion would continue to remain outside of his door.

There was just a single candle burning in the front portion of the guest suite, providing only minimal lighting. With a great sense of alarm, Edwyn slipped from beneath the covers and stood, trying to look past the separation screen of the sleeping area to see his Orcish bodyguard. He assumed that it must still be some time before the dawn, but he held no clear idea of the exact hour.

Evidently responding to what had woken Edwyn, Yurma was already up from the sofa, but still in her underclothes. He saw that she had her shield and axe in one hand, listening intently and looking to unlocking the door to their quarters.

Though Edwyn had not spoken or made any obvious noise, Yurma was evidently perfectly aware that he was standing in the shadows and watching from behind the screen. She looked back in his direction.

"Stay." Yurma kept her voice low, speaking only just loud enough to be clearly heard by Edwyn.

The Orc firstly opened the door just a crack and then a little wider, so that she could peer outside. It was notably brighter outside in the corridor, as indicated by the beam of light coming in through the partially opened doorway.

Another shout rang out. That time it could be heard more clearly, without being muffled behind the closed timber door. It was a woman's voice. Rather than someone screaming in pain or the like, the shout sounded more alarmed and perhaps slightly hostile. As indicated by where Yurma directed her gaze. The call came not from the direction of Kingsley's quarters, but from the opposite direction.

Holding the timber door with her shield arm, Yurma knew that Edwyn had cautiously made his way over nearer to where she stood. She shot him a stern glare. "Stay here. Lock the door, if I'm not right back."

Edwyn silently indicated his acknowledgment.

Yurma stepped out into the corridor, looking toward the left. She appeared ready to spring into action. From a side corridor branching off to the right of that main passage, a middle aged Breton woman stepped forward with a blade in her hand.

Without shifting from where she stood, Marie Lafont glared at Yurma just very briefly.

At that moment, a guard appeared at the far end of that main corridor, headed directly for Lafont's position at the branching side corridor. "You there."

The Breton woman immediately identified herself. "Lafont, Mariners Guild."

Another member of the Royal Guard called out from behind Yurma in aggressive tone. "Weapons down."

"My bodyguard." Edwyn had evidently been standing right at the door and chosen that moment to open it further and poke his head outside. "She's my bodyguard. I'm with the Merchants Guild."

"Understood. Weapons down." The guard behind Yurma remained firm in tone. He held position at that corner, looking along both directions in his view from that location.

Still keeping her shield and axe in hand, Yurma had complied with instruction by lowering them and adopting a more passive stance.

That guard approaching from beyond Lafont's position had drawn nearer and Lafont had also pointed her blade toward the stone floor, but appeared most reluctant to give it up.

"Did you see anyone? Anything?" Lafont's outward tone seemed both urgent and angry. "Someone was here."

The guard near to Lafont shook his head, maintaining a stern expression.

Yurma was also shaking her head. "Saw no one come this way."

If the guard behind Yurma thought any different, he failed to speak of it. He kept looking out along both directions from where he stood back at the corner.

Remaining in the partially opened doorway, Edwyn watched on nervously.

Lafont spoke up again. "There was an intruder. Got into my quarters… somehow."

"What intruder?" The guard standing near to Lafont asked the question.

"Dunno. Ran off… after setting off a trap."

The guard back at the corner called out to someone out of view along the corridor to his right. "Morrard. Take my post at that door. Got trouble down here."

The guard near Lafont addressed her again. "There's nobody else out here."

Lafont shook her head. "The intruder was… was cloaked… I think."

"Cloaked?"

"Cloaked… like with magic… I think. It was dark in my room. But I saw… nothing… there was nothing there, when the door was opened… when he ran off. Or she… or it. Had to be illusion magic of some sort."

Another guard arrived from that far corridor where that male guard near Lafont had just come from. At a glance, that third Breton guard to arrive in the corridor looked perhaps a bit like Lafont, only she was probably slightly younger.

Responding the new arrival's query, the guard nearest Lafont offered a condensed version of what he knew. Lafont was Mariners Guild. She was the one responsible for all the noise. She claimed that an intruder had been in her quarters, set off an alarm of some sort and then escaped, possibly using magical cloaking.

During that brief explanation, the guard who had come from the direction of Kingsley's quarters shifted to stand near to Yurma, just outside Edwyn's door. He kept a wary eye toward both of them.

It seemed that the Breton woman held rank over the other two. She'd been looking down the side corridor, then turned to look along the main corridor past Lafont. "Who's the Orc?"

Lafont responded first. "Northwind's bodyguard. He's Merchants Guild."

Edwyn poked his head further out of the door, silently waving his hand to openly identify himself.

A weary male voice called out from along that side corridor where Lafont's quarters were located. "What's going on?"

The female Breton guard returned her gaze to that direction. "Nothing to concern… there's nothing amiss in your quarters, is there?"

"Ah… well, no… but the noises out here…"

The guard cut off the other person's words. "Nothing to concern yourself over. You should go back inside and lock your door again." She made it sound far more like a direct order than casual suggestion.

Lafont spoke up again. "There was someone in my quarters… and had to be up to no good. Got past a locked door. If that trap wasn't set off…"

"What trap? Never mind." The Breton guard shook her head and released a heavy sigh. "Looks like the Captain will need to be woken early." She gestured to the guard who'd been standing by Lafont the longest. He responded with a curt nod, then headed off back along the corridor he'd initially come from.

The female Breton guard cast an eye toward Lafont's door. "We'll need to go take a proper look at your quarters."

"Obviously." Lafont tried not to sound provocative with her response.

Looking toward Yurma, the senior guard released a huffy sigh again, then addressed Lafont once more. "I take it that the intruder didn't look like an Orc or that… that Northwyn?"

"Northwind. No. But I couldn't tell anyway. Didn't look like anything… or anyone… but someone was there… and left through the doorway."

The female guard shook her head, looking to the other guard, but directing her words toward Yurma and Edwyn. "You two should get back to your quarters and lock the door."

"Are you sure?" Edwyn didn't seem to know exactly what he was suggesting.

Yurma hadn't said anything, turning about to head back inside.

The female guard remained firm in tone. "The matter is in hand. The Royal Guard are on it."

* * *

As instructed by the Royal Guard, Edwyn and Yurma had retreated directly back into the guest suite. Of course, Yurma had locked the door immediately and remained wary, even though the likelihood of any kind of repeat of a disturbance like that seemed remote. Especially so, with all those guards about not far from their location.

Despite Yurma's firm suggestion that Edwyn should go back to sleep, he didn't really manage to get anything more than interrupted rest of a kind. It seemed obvious enough that Yurma hadn't even tried to return to sleep. Instead passing her time on the sofa, facing the locked door in deep thought and listening for trouble.

Eventually, Edwyn gave up on the idea of sleeping and got up again. Lighting some more lamps, he cleaned up in the bathroom and shaved, then dressed for the day.

Yurma passed far less time in the bathroom and then dressed in her armour much earlier than she'd done on previous days, even though she knew it would still be hours before they were going anywhere.

During the previous evening, before turning in, they'd engaged in only a brief conversation about the Inspector's questions after he'd departed. Edwyn seemed satisfied that Inspector Attius wasn't treating them as suspects of any sort in his investigations, but perhaps more like witnesses. It was obvious enough that Yurma wasn't quite so sure of that. She'd also heard that guard speaking of an 'incident with Redguards' in the castle's north wing and that had raised her measure of concern. She'd suggested that if the matter required the interest of that Inspector, then it seemed to imply more than just a minor issue with those Redguards.

By the time that Edwyn and Yurma were seated in the sitting room part of the guest suite that morning, very little had been yet said between them.

Edwyn's concerned glance toward the door seemed a response to the noise of heavy footfalls passing by outside.

Yurma spoke up. "Been lots of that."

Edwyn looked to her. "Hmm?"

"Soldiers… Royal Guard."

"You can tell?"

"Not completely sure, but sounds like them."

Edwyn returned a blank nod of acceptance.

Yurma continued. "Long as the guards are marching up and down the corridors fairly often, ain't as much to be worried about."

Edwyn's silent frown indicated that he wasn't completely convinced.

Yurma shrugged. "More cause to be worried with what you don't hear… or don't see… like with Lafont."

Edwyn nodded. "Yes, I suppose so. I am concerned… over what happened with Lafont… during the early hours."

Yurma shrugged again. "I'm concerned… that stuff keeps happening near us… or near you."

Edwyn returned another frown. "I can't see how it's anything to do with either of us."

"Can't see it either. But that Attius thought it was worth looking into. Seems to think that Flyte's thing wasn't so accidental… and Copperton… that was no accident."

Glancing toward the door again, Edwyn released a sigh. "Hard to see why someone might be going after Lafont… here in the castle… and then there's what we overheard last night… something about the Redguards in the castle."

Yurma shook her head. "Don't know nothing about that yet. Could be nothing. Dunno yet. Comes to that, we don't know much about what happened with Lafont either. Only what she said."

Edwyn's shifting expression indicated something else on his mind. "Copperton had just come back from the city… before being attacked, I mean."

Yurma seemed to pick up on what he might be suggesting. "Lafont had been down to the city twice yesterday, from what it looks like. Around midday, then again around dusk."

Edwyn nodded. "Said she was… was collecting some orders from the stores. She didn't actually say what it was about."

"Out in the corridor… she said something about an intruder setting off traps."

Without speaking, Edwyn responded with a curious frown.

Yurma continued. "She probably picked up some sort of magical protection traps, or something like that."

"Magical protection traps?"

Yurma shrugged. "Dunno what. Scrolls or something. Sounded like something noisy going off. Even before all the shouting."

Edwyn narrowed his eyes. "But, why?"

Yurma rolled her eyes. "Protection. Maybe it's just that she knew something was going on. Because of Kingsley's bodyguard going missing… and him being escorted about by a castle guard and all that. With all the extra guards about yesterday, she probably figured that whatever happened to Copperton, it happened in or around the castle… and she's here without a bodyguard."

Edwyn shook his head again. "I still have to wonder why an intruder would even be after Lafont. Going to all the trouble of getting into her quarters. In the middle of the night. With all the castle guards roaming about."

Yurma waved her hand as she shrugged again. "Dunno whether it's about Lafont or not. Maybe, she just looked like an easier target for something… or maybe she did bring something down upon herself. Or else, she just has something that somebody wants. Dunno."

Edwyn sighed. "I can't imagine what it might be, but I don't like any of it."

"Don't like it either. Just gotta keep my eyes on the job. The job of keeping you safe until we get back to Wayrest."

A brief silence fell between them, then grew to become a much longer silence, as each remained seemingly lost in troubled thought.

The morning meal cart seemed late in turning up. That was confirmed by the apology offered by the servant and the estimate of the time that she provided. She had only a limited selection of breads and just one variety of Camlorn Tea to offer. Even so, the breads were fresh and the tea was still hot.

After Yurma had properly checked things over, they each made short work of their morning meals in a rather joyless fashion. With that task done, Edwyn made a point of visiting the bathroom and then they were soon on their way.

* * *

Departing the guest suite, Edwyn and Yurma observed a familiar Royal Guard posted outside Kingsley's door. Since Lafont's quarters were out of view in the opposite direction, they didn't know what might be going on back there. Even so, it was fair to assume that she might be at least as well guarded as Kingsley after that earlier incident.

After speaking with the guard at Kingsley's door, Edwyn knocked and awaited response from the other man. Kingsley seemed just a little flustered as he fussed with adjusting his coat. He advised that he was almost ready to depart. After quickly checking his document satchel and looking about once more, he decided that he was good to go.

Kingsley locked the door to his quarters as he joined Edwyn and Yurma outside. The guard posted at his door silently fell into step behind them as they headed off.

Since Kingsley had not made any mention of anything, Edwyn chose not to ask him about the visit from the Penitus Oculatus Inspector the previous evening. He also chose not to say to anything about the incident in the corridors during the early hours, since Kingsley had not made any mention of it. He didn't see the point of furthering any measure of undue stress.

Though the presence of other guards moving about the halls and corridors along the way appeared somewhat notable, no one spoke of it. The guards just inside the main entryway to the castle were checking arrivals coming in as they were passing by. LeBlanc and his bodyguard were just coming in, along with another local man. Edwyn recognised the other Breton as the representative of Daggerfall's Traders Association, but he still couldn't recall his name.

They didn't wait for those others to join them, instead continuing onward directly toward the Grand Hall. Once they'd reached the anteroom just outside, Yurma found a place to wait with the other bodyguards as Kingsley's escort exchanged passing acknowledgment with the guards posted at the doors. After showing their papers, Edwyn and Kingsley proceeded into the Grand Hall.

Inside the large room, it appeared much the same as the previous day. Though Edwyn might have almost expected something different, the number of guards about the walls seemed the same. A similar number of other staff flittered about the room, as they'd done the previous morning.

Just like the previous morning, Edwyn and Kingsley were quickly intercepted by a staff attendant checking who they were. The attendant then directed them to the same places they'd been previously seated in the fifth row back from the front.

There was one thing that possibly seemed different from the previous day. It did seem that it was a bit noisier in the room that morning. The previous morning, there had been numerous conversations creating a muted din throughout the hall before the meetings had been called to order. However, that morning it seemed that there were either more such conversations in progress, or else each of them was notably louder.

Before Edwyn or Kingsley had actually taken to their seats, it seemed obvious that Lord Flyte had observed their arrival and was heading directly for them. They waited a brief moment for his arrival.

The Lord of Anticlere affected an affable expression. "Good morning to you both. I do hope that you are both well this morning."

Remaining standing, both Edwyn and Kingsley returned similar greetings.

Raising his eyebrows and casually waving his hand in the appropriate direction, Lord Flyte continued. "I've been speaking with Harim this morning, the Trade Minister of Sentinel. It seems that his aid took ill late last evening. He's still with the healers this morning."

Kingsley glanced toward the three Redguard delegates in attendance, before retuning his gaze to Lord Flyte. "Really? Is he going to be alright?"

"One certainly hopes so. They think that he may have been poisoned."

"Poisoned?" Kingsley sounded surprised.

Edwyn was also slightly surprised, but said nothing.

Flyte resumed. "Yes, poisoned… so they say. Though no one seems quite sure how it could have happened or exactly what kind of poison might be involved. Or perhaps, they are just not saying. Nevertheless, the poor man has been very ill. Perhaps worse than my own illness, the other evening. I suspect that only his Redguard constitution kept him from suffering the full effect. They are naturally resistant to quite a few poisons, you know. Something in the Redguard bloodlines. Not immune of course, but quite resilient."

"Yes, I've heard that." Edwyn's response sounded distracted. He was looking toward the Redguard delegates seated in the third row from the front.

Fidgeting with that jewelled clasp affixed to his coat, Lord Flyte continued. "I understand that the staff of the kitchens have been in an uproar throughout the night. From what I've heard, the Royal Guard and that Inspector fellow were involved in looking into things. I suppose that explains why I found only a poor choice of meals available this morning. That can't be helped, of course. It would be most terrible if everyone were to be afflicted by illness because of what was coming from the kitchens."

"Yes, most terrible." With a concerned look on his face, Kingsley readily agreed.

Lord Flyte's expression shifted. "Oh, I heard something else this morning. Antonia Verus, the representative from the East Empire Company, she heard from someone else that there was another disturbance last evening. Something over in the southern wing of the castle."

"Yes, there was." Edwyn nodded slightly.

"There was?" Kingsley sounded quite surprised.

Edwyn elaborated a little. "An intruder in Lafont's quarters during the early hours."

"An intruder? Is she alright?" Kingsley surprised tone remained.

"Yes, as far as I could tell. The intruder ran off right way."

Kingsley frowned. "Did she see…?"

"No. She said that whoever it was… was using a magical cloaking or something like that. None of the guards about saw anything either."

Kingsley shook his head. "That is… disturbing."

Lord Flyte weighed in. "Yes most disturbing, I should think." Again fidgeting with his ornate clasp, he looked about the room. "I notice that Lafont has not arrived here yet. She normally sits with you, doesn't she."

Edwyn nodded, then looked toward the main doors. "Yes, she does. I expect that she's running late. Possibly because of… of needing to speak with the guard captain or possibly that Inspector… Attius."

Lord Flyte waved his hand in idle fashion. "Oh yes, that Inspector Attius. He visited us in our quarters last evening."

Kingsley spoke up. "I saw him as well. Because of er… well, because of my bodyguard… er, Copperton."

Edwyn interrupted Kingsley's awkwardness. "Attius came to me as well. To ask some questions about certain things I might have observed."

Lord Flyte frowned. "That Attius… he's quite a suspicious fellow. He seems to suspect that I may have been intentionally poisoned. I still think otherwise. I do believe that Sir Dalric does not like him at all." He paused, waving his hand again. "Even so, I suppose that some of his suspicions might seem to hold some manner of substance. A possible poisoning of one of the Redguard and now some sort of intruder sneaking up on Lafont in the middle of the night. That does seem suspicious… and concerning."

"Yes, most concerning." Kingsley seemed visibly shaken once more.

Lord Flyte affected a confident expression. "I'm sure that everything conceivable is being done to ensure our safety here within the castle. Anything unusual that may have already occurred will only serve to increase effort toward that purpose."

"We should hope so." Edwyn tried to reflect the tone of Flyte's words.

"Yes, we should hope so." Kingsley sounded like he was still trying to convince himself of the words.

Glancing again toward the front of the room, Lord Flyte's gaze lingered as he noticed Trade Minister Vici speaking with Consul Carvain. "From the look of that, I expect that it must drawing close to time for the day's meetings to be under way. I'd best be on my way to my proper place."

Edwyn and Kingsley both returned respectful nods of acknowledgment, before Lord Flyte turned about and headed for his seat in the second row.

As they were taking to their seats, staff attendants passed by with glasses of water, followed by another taking orders for meals to be delivered for the midday break. It was just as the document of daily schedule was being provided that Marie Lafont finally came through the main doors. It was fair to presume that she was the last one to arrive, as everyone else attending the summit appeared to already be present and seated.

Kingsley spoke up as Lafont made it to her seat. "Are you alright?"

Lafont looked to Kingsley. "Of course." She glanced briefly to Edwyn, evidently drawing the conclusion that he'd already informed Kingsley of what he knew. "Just held up for a bit. Been talking with that Penitus Oculatus Inspector… about an unwelcome visitor."

Kingsley spoke again. "Edwyn mentioned that there was an intruder."

Removing some documents from her bag, Lafont nodded. "Yes, there was. Didn't get near me. Ran off right away."

Kingsley affected a concerned frown. "How did you know that someone was there in your room? Did you hear? Was it someone armoured?"

Shaking her head, Lafont returned a weary expression. "No. No, the intruder was far too quiet for that. Didn't hear anything, not until the ah… the intruder had set off a trap that I'd set. Something I'd picked up from the stores yesterday."

Edwyn remained quiet.

Kingsley had another question. "And you didn't see anything? Edwyn mentioned something about magical cloaking."

Lafont shook her head again. "Something like that. Didn't see anyone."

It had remained noisy in the Grand Hall that morning, right up until that particular moment. Looking toward the front, Edwyn noticed why some of the chatter was beginning to suddenly fall away. The Imperial Trade Minister had taken to the raised dais. He silently pointed it out to the other two.

Kingsley looked toward the front and nodded, then looked to quickly sorting his papers. Lafont did much the same.

Trade Minister Vici held out his hands, signalling for the room to come to order, then waited for quiet. His serious expression appeared naturally suited to the generally dour aspect of his facial features. He offered only a brief and rather lukewarm greeting to those gathered, then paused a moment before continuing.

"I imagine that many of you have become aware of certain incidents and occurrences both in and around Castle Daggerfall over past days. As I've been informed, some of those things may turn out to be of lesser concern and certain others, perhaps something else. In any case, I provide assurance that all of those matters are being thoroughly investigated." He paused to look out across the people of the room. "Though not all matters under investigation may be related, it could be the case that unknown individuals have sought to bring disruption to these proceedings." He paused again. "However, the Emperor has charged me with ensuring the success of this trade summit and to that end, I mean to see to it that the proceedings of this summit are not disrupted nor swayed from purpose."

A dull murmur from parts of the room caused the Imperial Minister to again pause, if only briefly. His stern visage quickly served to bring about quiet once more.

"In the interest of thorough investigation, a Penitus Oculatus Inspector has been set to the task, working in concert with Prince Regent Gothryd's Knights and Royal Guard. Added to that, soldiers from the Legion garrison have been assigned to attending city patrols, to allow the Daggerfall City Watch to bolster the numbers of those both in and around the castle. Every reasonable effort will be employed to ensure the safety of those attending the summit here in Daggerfall and the opportunity to achieve the desired successful outcomes of this endeavour."

After a moment of silently looking out across the faces of the delegates, the Trade Minister nodded, then ceded the podium to Consul Carvain.

Doing his best to fully maintain firm tone and appearance of confidence, the Imperial Consul quickly called to meeting to order, then proceeded to outlined the topics for the day.

As the Consul spoke, Edwyn suddenly found himself feeling rather weary. He made an effort to sit up straight and took a short sip of water. Though he wasn't feeling quite so attentive, he made an effort to try to focus upon what the Consul was talking about. The combination of a late evening and interrupted sleep during the early hours had served to undermine his general state of mental alert. He imagined that the following hours would seem far more taxing than they really should.

~O~


	15. Chapter 15

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 15

Sundas the 4th of Evening Star 4E71 Afternoon

The morning summit meeting in the Grand Hall of Castle Daggerfall seemed to drag on for far longer than it actually did. At least, that's how Edwyn had felt about it. It would have been perhaps nearly half an hour past noon by the time that the midday recess was called.

Various topics on the morning schedule had been addressed and votes called upon as necessary. For the most part, much of it seemed rather mundane and predictable. From Edwyn's estimate, it really seemed no more than an effort to reaffirm a number of existing circumstances to maintain the status quo. He expected that certain topics on the afternoon schedule might easily prove more excitable, but whether it actually yielded any results of substance remained to be seen.

As soon as Consul Carvain had declared the midday break, there was something of a fairly obvious rush to get out of the Grand Hall. To have stood any chance of beating the crowd to the doors, Edwyn would have needed to have been out of his seat far more quickly than he'd moved. Since it was already too late for that, he accepted waiting around a little longer.

It firstly seemed that Marie Lafont had been planning to get out quickly, but also soon realised that she'd not moved nearly fast enough. Though Edwyn still dallied a little, Kingsley did move from his seat, trying to keep near to Lafont. Since they were effectively all headed in the same direction, Edwyn decided that he might as well rise from his seat and follow Kingsley, before it became too late to keep up with them.

Edwyn noticed that Kingsley seemed eager to speak with Lafont. He'd tried to ask her about those traps that she'd earlier mentioned, when he'd firstly asked about the intruder in her quarters. He appeared especially curious of what she'd used to deflect the mysterious interloper during the early hours.

In a weary tone, Lafont told him that the guard captain hadn't been too happy about potentially dangerous traps being set inside guest quarters. She'd been firmly urged to instead rely upon the soldiers assigned to serve her protection.

Kingsley's downcast expression indicated that he'd probably hoped or expected to hear something different from her.

After a pause, Lafont produced a tarnished necklace from her pocket. "I also had this thing. It's been enchanted… for detection and to alert. It gets cold and vibrates if someone gets close. I put it on before going to sleep."

"Oh, that seems like it might be useful." Kingsley nodded briefly.

Lafont shrugged. "Might let me know if someone's near, but by then… someone would've already got past the guard at my door… and I'd still need to defend myself."

Kingsley's expression shifted. "Oh, I see." His tone reflected his disappointment. He knew full well that fighting off intruders was quite outside of his particular skills.

Edwyn noticed the crowd ahead of them shifting again and it appeared that they would probably make it through the main doors fairly quickly, if they moved along. Lafont had already noticed that circumstance and started forward. Kingsley and Edwyn followed along behind.

In the anteroom outside the Grand Hall, Yurma again joined Edwyn. Kingsley was once more attended by a Royal Guard assigned to his protection. Another similar guard escorted Lafont. With the passage ahead already clearing, they moved off fairly quickly.

As they were about to pass by the main entryway of Castle Daggerfall, the heavy doors had opened and closed and a figure moved freely past the guards posted just inside. It was Inspector Attius who had just come in through the castle's main doors.

"A moment, I think." Kingsley appeared hesitantly eager to gain something from the unexpected opportunity.

Edwyn didn't see the harm in waiting a moment. He thought that Lafont might have been more interested in continuing on without them, but she also waited.

Though the Inspector might have been making some effort to disguise it, he was looking outwardly weary. It was fair to assume that it was probably due to lack of sleep. Noting that Kingsley was moving to intercept him, his indicated his attention.

"Inspector, if you have a moment?" Kingsley tried not to sound too presumptuous.

"Of course." Attius spoke quietly, but not suspiciously so. Still, his tone did seem modulated toward encouraging subdued volume.

Kingsley tried not to speak too loudly. "Inspector, have you managed to learn anything more at all of the threats? After… after those events of last night… after I'd last spoken with you…" Kingsley glanced toward Lafont. "Well, with invisible intruders and another possible poisoning, I'm finding it all even more concerning than before."

The Inspector suppressed a mild sigh. "There's nothing of substance to tell you, but rest assured that everything is in hand."

Kingsley wasn't looking or sounding quite so assured. "But if each of these things are connected…"

Attius maintained his composure. "At this point, there are no clear connections between the attack on your man Copperton, the unseen intruder earlier this morning or other possible occurrences. I may have uncovered some possible things relating to other recent incidents about town, but nothing likely to affect yourself."

"But what about our… our safety?" Kingsley's tone seemed more protest than query.

Inspector Attius glanced only briefly toward Edwyn and Lafont then returned his gaze to Kingsley. "The safety of yourself and everyone else visiting this place is well attended. You should remain safe within the castle. I recommend keeping your doors locked at night and rely upon the guards provided to see to your protection."

Lafont looked like she had something to say, but chose to remain silent.

Kingsley spoke again. "I do not doubt the competence of these fine guards at all, but I do wonder that they are enough."

The Inspector looked as though he might be about to lose his patience, but maintained a courteous tone. "Efforts have been implemented to organise and bolster the number of soldiers and knights in and around the castle. The soldiers of the Legion garrison have also been organised to help with that situation. Added to that, I'm calling in an additional resource to assist, but I'll say no more on that. Be assured that everything is well in hand."

Kingsley looked like he wanted to have something more to say, but might have been at a loss to come up with anything else.

Inspector Attius evidently thought they were done. "If you'll excuse me?" He nodded curtly, then continued on his way.

"Kingsley?" Edwyn prompted the banker.

"Hmm?" Kingsley distractedly watched the Inspector's back for a lingering moment before turning around. "Yes. Yes, of course."

Edwyn tried to sound confident. "It does sound like everything is well in hand."

Rejoining the group, Kingsley nodded. "Yes, of course."

"We oughta keep going. Meant to be back in there at two." Lafont indicated the direction of the castle's southern wing.

The group continued onward with those two members of the Royal Guard marching along behind them. They had arrived at Kingsley's quarters just as a meal cart turned up outside his door. The guard took up position as Kingsley headed inside. Edwyn and Yurma continued onward for their guest suite located around the corner. With her escort behind her, Lafont proceeded to her own quarters situated a little further along.

* * *

Back in the guest suite, Edwyn just barely had time to visit the bathroom before the meal cart had arrived with the ordered meals. Aside from acknowledging that his order had arrived correctly, Edwyn firstly left it all in Yurma's hands. As each time before, he waited for her to check over the food and drink before touching any of it.

Seated at the small table, Yurma noticed that Edwyn was picking at his food rather slowly. He looked tired, but she didn't think that was the reason. She didn't think that he doubted her declaration the food was untainted. She finished chewing a bite and posed a question. "You heard what's going with the Redguards?"

Edwyn nodded. After finishing what he was chewing on, he briefly explained what he'd heard that morning from Lord Flyte about Minister Harim's aide.

Yurma nodded as she was eating. "Heard the rumours outside the Grand Hall, but the Redguards weren't saying much."

"The ah… the bodyguards? Redguard bodyguards?"

"Yeah. They only confirmed that the Minister's aide was ill, cos just about everyone already seemed to know that… or something like that. The rumour of poison was flying about, but the Redguards wouldn't talk about that."

"Rumour? From the other bodyguards?"

Yurma nodded again. "Yeah. Dunno how it got started, since the Redguards weren't talking about it. There was also some talk about what happened with Lafont during the early hours."

Edwyn frowned. "You didn't…?"

"Wasn't me talking about it. Just listening. Nobody even looked at me over it."

Edwyn continued frowning.

Yurma continued. "There was an Imperial there, by the name of Salvius. He's the bodyguard for Verus, the East Empire woman from Solitude. He must have been the one I heard early this morning. Down that side corridor. The one where Lafont came from."

"Ah." Edwyn nodded. He recalled that he'd heard that Royal Guard telling someone to go back into their quarters when Lafont was out in the main corridor, but he had no idea who was down there. He didn't even know that Verus was quartered there.

After finishing another few bites, Yurma resumed. "That Salvius, he wasn't the only one. Others were saying things as well. A rumour was already getting about that there might be somebody sneaking about the castle who shouldn't be there. What Salvius said just sorta confirmed what was already going around."

"What did he say?"

Yurma shrugged. "Not that much. Said that there was a ruckus because of an intruder getting into Lafont's room… and that he heard that magical cloaking might've been involved… but that was about all of it."

Still frowning, Edwyn nodded as he picked at his food.

Yurma finished the last of her meal. "According to others, the kitchens and larders of the castle got searched last night. Sounded like a lot of servant staff must've been questioned and such."

Edwyn nodded again. "Yes, Lord Flyte said something about that. Did you hear whether anything came of it?"

Yurma shrugged again. "Dunno. If anything came out of anything, nobody there knew about it… or just not saying. You'd figure that Attius would know what was what… and he didn't say anything to Kingsley. You'd think someone would be crowing about it, if everything was sorted."

A moment passed before Edwyn finally responded. "Yes, you would think so. In the Grand Hall this morning… Trade Minister Vici had something to say. He went on about the importance of the trade summit… and ensuring that it was not disrupted."

Yurma's expression reasonably conveyed her unspoken opinion. She thought that things were probably already disrupted, no matter what might lay ahead.

Edwyn continued. "The Minister talked about the increased protection within the castle, with Royal Guard being bolstered by the City Watch… and the Legion stepping in to assist with city patrols. He even openly told everyone that a Penitus Oculatus Inspector was looking into things. I expect that he was trying to encourage everyone to keep calm… but he was not declaring anything resolved."

Yurma stifled a little snort. "I'll bet that it didn't do so much to keep everyone calm in there either."

Edwyn tilted his head to one side. "Well, perhaps not. Even so, I expect the spread of unchecked rumour to be viewed as far more disruptive. Many of the people in that room are the kind that tend to feel far safer with more guards and soldiers about."

"S'pose so." Yurma shrugged and took a sip from her mug.

A relative silence fell as Edwyn finished his food and drink.

A short while later, everything had been tidied up. Edwyn had made a point of visiting the bathroom once more. Soon enough, they were leaving the guest suite once again to make their way back to the Grand Hall for the remainder of the afternoon.

* * *

After locking the door behind themselves, Edwyn and Yurma headed along those familiar corridors of the southern wing. Since the guard was still standing outside Kingsley's quarters, they stopped by to meet with the banker along the way. Whether Lafont had already passed through or had yet to come by remained unknown at that point.

Moments later, they were all headed along the corridor with Kingsley's current guard moving along behind them. With no notable disruptions along the way, it was not too long before they arrived at the anteroom outside the Grand Hall, where Yurma found a seat for herself with the other bodyguards already present. Edwyn and Kingsley continued on into the meeting area as they'd done earlier in the day.

At a glance, it was evident that most, but not all of the other delegates had come back. Most were already seated, but a few had drifted from their own seats to go speak with others. Edwyn and Kingsley observed that Lafont had made it there before them and was already sitting and going over some papers.

Only brief greetings were exchanged. Lafont appeared focussed upon something she was reading and seemed motivated to finish reading before opportunity was lost. As it passed, there hadn't been much time before things were again under way.

Once it was clear that everyone had returned from the break and appeared properly settled, Consul Carvain again called the meetings to order and the schedule was resumed.

The earlier portion of the afternoon's trade talks tended toward the mundane, with topics relating to the trade of flax, cotton and other materials and textiles on the agenda.

As before, none of it seemed remotely excitable. With only minor exception, much of it fell into the category of addressing more of the same within the general framework of adjusting the status quo.

By the half way mark of that afternoon session, Edwyn found himself already feeling quite weary. Taking small sips of water, blinking his tired eyes and periodically shuffling in his seat seemed to help a little. It was only the occasional call for votes that kept him from nodding off at certain points. He knew that he really needed to be better rested to struggle through that level of tedium.

It was only later in the afternoon that things became a little more interesting, as talk turned toward the matter of sea-going piracy. In those discussions, the Consul evidently had more trouble maintaining the flow of orderly discourse. Even so, most of the topical points raised seemed hardly truly surprising.

Of course, there were certain trade routes that presented less concern and others that leaned very much in the complete opposite direction.

The regular presence of Imperial Navy vessels meant that Iliac Bay could generally be considered as safe waters for trade vessels during most times. The same could commonly be said of the Gold Coast region around Anvil and Rihad, for much the same reasons. However, the open waters of the Abecean Sea sometimes presented with far less certainty.

In a similar fashion, it was noted that close to the ports of Hegathe or even the isle of Stros M'kai, the fear of encountering pirate vessels also diminished somewhat. However, further away from the Hammerfell coastlines, concerns again rose.

Those notably lesser travelled waters about the western islands of Herne, Cespar and The Chain, remained so for fair reason. Unlike Stros M'kai, those far-flung locales remained largely beyond the regular interest of the Imperial Navy. As that remained fairly common knowledge, pirates understood that some sort of safe harbour could be readily sought in those areas. Even if not at any civilised port of those isles, those largely unpatrolled waters about the islands could easily provide for haven in secluded bays.

Of course, there were also numerous tiny islands within Iliac Bay, as well as those along the outer coastlines of High Rock and Hammerfell, which occasionally attracted ambitious pirate captains seeking convenient places to lurk. However, with the regular passage of naval vessels travelling between Daggerfall, Sentinel, Wayrest, and other ports, pirates would never remain there for long and striking out from those places seemed a rarity. It was more the case of such vessels hiding out for short periods, before heading back out to sea once more.

Even the nearby isle of Betony had been known to briefly attract pirate vessels lurking about the more secluded coastlines away from the island's only port. Still, Betony was an occupied island situated far too close to shipping routes and passing naval vessels for any pirates to linger there for long.

Though certain sections of the southern Hammerfell coastline tended toward less surety, much further east in the vicinity of western Cyrodiil, it had remained generally safe from piracy for the most part. That wasn't only due to the Imperial Naval vessels frequenting both Anvil and Rihad. It had just as much to do with what lay south of the Strid River and further afield across the Abecean.

Pirates of any stripe knew to keep their activities well clear of the Empire's most reticent and belligerent neighbour. Accordingly, those waters off the coast of Valenwood and the broad straits separating that mainland region from the former Summerset Isles tended to be relatively safe from that sort of thing. Pirate vessels were either absent from that area or at least very well disguised, if they sought to slip along the trade routes undetected.

It was easily fair to say that the mere presence of Aldmeri Dominion vessels patrolling those waters typically kept most piracy activities well away from there.

Not that such a thing was necessarily the primary intent, since those patrols were mostly more focussed upon trying to keep Imperial vessels and any other non-Dominion trade shipping away from either land under Thalmor control. It was more the case that pirate vessels also fell under that broader category.

As for the ships of the Imperial Navy, they commonly needed to avoid straying too near to Dominion territories for any purpose other than quickly making their way through the neutral waters of the accepted shipping lanes to destinations beyond. Anything else would likely be viewed as aggressive posturing and avoiding any conflict between either navy remained a clear priority.

Of course, the threat of piracy again increased outside the direct sphere of Dominion influence. To the east of the Valenwood, several sections of the Elsweyr coastline often presented as potential risk for trade vessels.

The former Elsweyr capital of Torval did not seem nearly as friendly as it had been back during those times when the kingdoms of the Khajiiti lands were united as an Imperial province. With the current Mane still choosing to reside in Dune, the politics of Torval easily seemed a little less spiritual, without the guidance of the Khajiiti spiritual leader.

In that somewhat more chaotic environment, it seemed that pirates could expect some measure of tolerance, provided that they didn't directly cause any notable trouble for officials of that city.

With only rare exception, sanctioned trade operations of the Empire avoided the vicinity of Torval altogether. That had been the case for decades. Since not long after the breakaway and break up of the united Elsweyr into the many independent, and often conflicting, kingdoms and tribal fiefdoms of that region.

Aside from noting that the place remained chaotic and dangerous, most traders of the Empire really held no interest in any direct dealings with Torval. The only interested concern came from those rogue operators coming and going from there.

At the far eastern end of the Quin'rawl Peninsular, the port city of Senchal elicited differing measures of consideration. Some trade operators would not touch the place at all. A few others considered that lucrative reward generally outweighed the potential risk of doing business with Senchal.

Both camps easily agreed that the threat of pirate activity near to that port remained an ongoing concern. Even ships avoiding Senchal would still pass relatively close on their way into or out of Topal Bay. Any such vessel visiting the central Imperial Province via the Niben would pass that way.

Though Imperial Naval vessels also passed that way commonly enough, those waters along the Elsweyr coastline were not subject to regular patrols. The Empire no longer held any accepted authority over those southern parts of Elsweyr.

Certainly, hostile vessels could be dealt with along the shipping lanes in neutral waters. However, the Imperial Navy would not pursue such vessels all the way to localities along the Elsweyr coast.

Unlike the circumstances with Rimmen, located inland and further to the north, there were no broader treaties in place to govern such things. There was not even anything like those tenuous trade treaties that still held in some of the other northern Khajiiti regions like Riverhold and Dune.

None of the varied kingdoms of southern Elsweyr were currently actively allied or hostile toward the Empire. It was understood that no party was eager to force that circumstance in either direction.

It was noted that the Imperial Navy could not escort every trade vessel passing along the Elsweyr coastline to or from the relative safety of Topal Bay, any more than every vessel traversing the western Abecean could expect such a thing.

The discussions of that afternoon were hardly likely to have any meaningful affect upon anything in that regard. It really seemed more the case that certain voices just wanted to be clearly heard. Some voices were louder than others. Lafont's Daggerfall counterpart had been notably more vocal than she had been. Along with the Trade Minister from Sentinel, the representatives from Rihad and Stros M'kai also had quite a bit to say. Given the broad range of Anticlere's shipping interests, Lord Flyte offered his own measured words of concern. Though the content of what he said reflected what some others said, his delivery remained notably more civil and reserved.

Edwyn firstly thought it slightly odd that the East Empire Company representative from Solitude had very little to say. Then he decided that it was likely that concerns across the northern rim of Tamriel might be somewhat different. He thought that perhaps either sea-going piracy was less of a concern up there; or else they just expected less direct support from the Empire in such matters.

Of course, Edwyn's place in things meant that he had little to nothing to contribute to the specifics of those discussions. After all, his purvey was really only the traders and directly related businesses located within Wayrest. It wasn't as though he ever expected to see the activities of pirates directly affecting his city.

Even so, given that Wayrest was a city built upon commerce, he still understood the importance of indirect effects. The commerce of Wayrest depended heavily upon shipping, so the concerns of others remained in mind, even if it largely remained beyond his direct sphere of influence.

In the end of it all, it came down to some talk of addressing the frequency of Naval patrols in certain areas and consideration of increased measures of deterrence. Of course, Trade Minister Vici held only limited authority in that regard. However, he did have the ear of the Emperor and by extension, the ears of those others that held the proper measures of authority.

It had to be a little after six by the time that the afternoon discussions were finally done and the delegates were dismissed. By that time, Edwyn was glad to see an end to the day's activities and looking forward to returning to the guest suite.

As they waited for suitable opportunity to gain access to the exit from the room, Kingsley had again sought to prompt Lafont for further detail of things she'd used to protect herself in her room. Despite Kingsley's persistence, Lafont remained somewhat reserved in her responses.

In due course, they'd managed to depart the Grand Hall and joined up with their respective bodyguards. It seemed that only the presence of those assigned guards provoked Kingsley to cease his questions of Lafont.

Along the way to the southern wing, Royal Guard posted at specific points along the corridors made brief effort to check who they were. It seemed evident that the presence of Kingsley and Lafont's escorts meant that the other guards were somewhat less concerned over their identities. However, Yurma attracted greater suspicion. Even with those other two Breton guards behind them, they considered it necessary to check on the armoured Orc in the group.

Kingsley returned to his own quarters once they'd arrived back there and Lafont continued onward to her own. By then, Edwyn felt glad to be getting back to his own quarters.

* * *

Back in the guest suite, only moments passed before a servant arrived at their door with a seemingly reduced selection of meals on offer for that evening. After making appropriate requests, Edwyn was advised that he should expect at least a half-hour wait.

He passed some of that time heading to the bathroom to alleviate immediate concerns. Then afterward, took the time to thoroughly wash his hands and face in an attempt to keep his growing weariness at bay.

By the time that the meals were finally delivered, Edwyn was actually beginning to feel far hungrier than he'd initially anticipated. As was her way, Yurma offered no indication of her thoughts in that regard. She appeared more engaged in listening to noises outside their door, and then ensuring that the servant who turned up was actually who she appeared to be.

As Yurma was checking over the food and drink, a perfectly relevant thought came to Edwyn. He tried not to sound unduly provocative. "If you did actually determine poison, or something like that, then… then what?"

Yurma frowned. "What do you mean, then what? We don't touch it."

Edwyn's expression reflected some mild confusion. "No, of course not. What I suppose I mean is what if… what if there was a poison… and you missed it?"

Yurma shrugged. "Ain't gonna say I can't be fooled, but I've been pretty good at it up to this point. Any case, I got a few potions in my bag that can deal with most poisons. It'd have to be something real special to get past me and also be too much for regular cures."

Edwyn returned a silent nod, accepting her words.

Yurma wasted no time starting her meal. After only a minor pause, Edwyn set to doing the same. Neither spoke again until they'd finished eating.

Since she'd not offered anything, Edwyn prompted Yurma with questions over whether the other bodyguards had spoken of anything important during the afternoon.

Yurma shrugged. "Heard some stuff. Can't say if it was important."

Edwyn's weary expression was enough prompting.

Yurma elaborated. "Heard something about a few people going missing or turning up dead around Daggerfall over past months. Nothing real unusual in a big place like that."

"What did you hear?"

She shrugged again. "Couple of beggars and drunkards looked like they got done by vampires or the like. One of them Vigil of Stendarr lot as well."

Edwyn grunted with a nod. Though he'd had no direct dealing with those Vigilants of Stendarr coming and going from the temple in Wayrest, he was aware of their near fanatical piety.

Yurma continued. "According to LeBlanc's Fighters Guild hire, Capron, he reckons that a vampire hunter got brought in cos the Guild never found anything. Hunter took out a vampire over in Harbour Town, then moved on. He also reckons there's been maybe another couple disappearances since then, but don't mean it's about the same thing."

Edwyn shook his head. "Vampires."

"Ain't nothing new. Stuff like that happens in a big city like Daggerfall. Wouldn't make any sense for them to try coming up here to the castle. Not unless they to wanted to be put down quicker."

Edwyn nodded, accepting her logic.

Responding to Yurma's casual question, Edwyn told her that nothing at all pertinent to safety concerns was said in the Grand Hall during the afternoon. Without offering much detail, he advised her that most of the discussions remained tedious, except for the more excitable talk of sea-going piracy during the latter part of the afternoon.

Before long, Edwyn accepted that he'd had enough for the day. He was feeling far too tired to even think about going over any documents. After another visit to the bathroom, he looked to heading straight for bed. He was hoping that he could get through the night without anything disrupting peaceful sleep.

~O~


	16. Chapter 16

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 16

Morndas the 5th of Evening Star 4E71 Morning

Edwyn Northwind awoke with a slight start. It wasn't as though anything external had caused him any alarm. It was more the case that he suddenly felt concerned that he might have overslept. That was largely because that guest suite had no windows to the outside world, providing him with no clear indication of whether the dawn had come and gone. As he lay there a moment preparing to rise, he rationalised that if the hour had grown late, his bodyguard would have made some effort to rouse him. On that basis, he presumed that it must still be fairly early.

Though he wasn't sure of how long he'd slept, he felt like it had been good solid night of rest. With the incidents of the previous days, he felt almost surprised that nothing had disturbed the hours of darkness. The only interruption to his sleep had come from needing to get up just once to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

With the bathroom upon his mind once again, Edwyn decided it best to rise and head there. Looking past the separation screen about the bedroom section of the suite, he noticed Yurma gra-Sharma was already awake and lounging upon the sofa with a book in hand. She shot him a casual glance and a nod as he headed for the bathroom.

After tending to immediate matters in the bathroom, Edwyn lit some additional lamps in there, then proceeded to wash and shave. A short while later, he was dressing in his clothes for the day, then heading over to the sitting room area to speak with Yurma.

"Good morning to you."

"And to you." Yurma looked up from her book.

"Everything seems to have been quiet through the evening?"

"Sorta." Yurma shrugged, then looked toward the door. "Been hearing soldiers boots going by every so often. Hadn't heard any running or shouting. So, I s'pose things can't have been too far off normal."

"I do hope so. Do you have any idea what time it might be."

She shrugged again. "Around seven maybe. Ain't been any meal carts coming around this way yet. Not as far as I can tell."

Edwyn nodded, suddenly realising that he was feeling hungry at the mention of meal carts. He looked to the carafe of fresh water on the table and poured a glass. After taking a few long sips, he looked toward the door. "So, all relatively quiet then?"

Yurma shrugged yet again. "Nearby to us, at least. Can't say any more than that."

"Perhaps the addition of all those extra guards has brought an end to whatever might have been afoot." Edwyn's tone seemed more a call for affirmation, than a confidently held opinion.

"Maybe. Can't say." Yurma's response hardly carried much measure of assurance.

Edwyn frowned, recalling something that he'd barely paid attention to at the time of hearing it the day before. He looked to Yurma. "Do you recall yesterday… when Kingsley spoke with the Inspector… near the front entrance?"

Yurma's silent nod indicated in the affirmative.

Edwyn continued. "Inspector Attius… he spoke of all the additional guards, the city watch… and making the soldiers of the Legion garrison available… and so on. Same things that Minister Vici said in the Grand Hall."

Yurma had come to reflect his frown. A subtle movement of her head indicated that she was wondering exactly what it was he was trying to get at.

Edwyn nodded subtly. "The Inspector… well, I'm sure that he said something about calling in someone to assist with his investigations."

Yurma's eyes shifted, as she thought about it. "Yeah, sounds right. Said something about some… 'additional resource'… then he backed off from it, like it was something he wouldn't talk about."

Edwyn nodded again. "Yes, that's it. I'm wondering what he meant by that."

Yurma shook her head as she appeared to speculate. "Could be anything. Heard there's a bunch of spectres with specialised skills. Some are just skilled soldiers, some are s'posed to be specialist trackers or hunters… or investigators of some kind. Heard that some of 'em are s'posed to be trained mages or the like."

Edwyn's frown had returned. "So, you think he's called in another… another specialist from the Penitus Oculatus?"

Yurma's expression indicated that she thought it was a stupid question. "Makes most sense. You'd expect he was talking about bringing in another spectre of some sort. Maybe the kind that don't walk about in Legion armour, like most of 'em do nowadays."

Edwyn returned a questioning glance.

Yurma responded. "According to Uncle Karl, back in his days with the Guild, none of 'em wore Legion uniforms… unless they were just pretending to be Legion. He says pretty much all of 'em lurked about like secret spies. He wouldn't know who was Penitus Oculatus, unless they came out and told him. If Attius is bringing in someone like that, then he probably wouldn't be real keen to say so."

Edwyn silently nodded, accepting her logic.

A knock at the door interrupted the conversation, causing Yurma to rise quickly from the sofa to see who was there. Edwyn kept back. It was a somewhat nervous servant outside with a cart, delivering morning meals. The younger Breton lad did seem unusually anxious. When asked about the time, he'd firstly apologised profusely for running late, then clarified that it was likely coming up on quarter to eight in the morning. Edwyn suspected that the lad's behaviour had something to do with Yurma's presence, or perhaps that the kitchen staff had been subjected to further interrogations overnight. Edwyn didn't pry as he made selections from what was on offer.

Soon enough, Edwyn and Yurma were sitting down at the small table with sweet breads and tea. Yurma thoroughly checked over the food and drink, before Edwyn gave any thought to touching any of it.

Conversation remained sparse as they picked through the morning meal. Edwyn had only casually commented that he was feeling much better after proper night of good sleep without disturbing interruption. Yurma's response only indicated that she tended to sleep rather lightly, but was otherwise feeling well enough.

After finishing eating and pausing a short while, dishes and mugs were cleaned up and Edwyn took a few moments to peruse a couple of documents before ensuring that everything was in his satchel. After one last visit to the bathroom, Edwyn decided he was ready to head off for the morning.

* * *

Locking the door to the guest suite behind them, Edwyn and Yurma were soon on their way along the corridors of the southern wing of Castle Daggerfall.

Around the first corner, Edwyn was mildly surprised to observe that Kingsley must have already departed his quarters, as indicated by the absence of a guard outside his door. To be sure of that circumstance, Edwyn stopped a moment to knock at the door, just in case. After hearing no answer, he'd decided that Kingsley must have already gone on ahead and so continued onward toward his destination.

Along the way from the southern wing to near the front entrance to the castle, they'd been stopped twice by Royal Guard posted at certain points, and then asked to provide identification. They'd been stopped again near that front entrance and then once more before reaching the vicinity of the Grand Hall. Upon each occasion, the Orcish Guild Fighter had been treated with raised suspicion, even though Edwyn felt certain that at least some those guards had certainly seen her more than once before. Even recognising that she was with Wayrest's Fighters Guild, she continued to endure some openly displayed measure of contempt from the mostly Breton protectors of Castle Daggerfall. If nothing else, it did serve to demonstrate that the guards had become more serious over ensuring the protection of everyone within the castle.

After leaving Yurma outside in the anteroom with other bodyguards present, Edwyn displayed his papers to those guards by the entrance doors and then headed on into the Grand Hall.

Before being intercepted by a staff member checking precisely who he was and where he should be seated in the hall, Edwyn noticed that neither Kingsley nor Lafont had yet arrived. Looking about the room, he could tell that many of the other delegates were already inside the Grand Hall, but at least a few seemingly remained absent. Further examination indicated that not all of the empty seats were directly due to late arrival. A number of people were actually wandering beyond their normally assigned seating to go speak with other delegates. The general level of noise from chatter did seem at least as loud as the morning before, if not even a little louder.

Just as Edwyn neared his assigned seat, he observed Lord Flyte moving away from some Daggerfall delegates to head quickly and directly toward his location. After setting down his document satchel upon his table, he remained standing as the Lord of Anticlere found a clear path around the obstacles in his way.

Lord Flyte sounded a little agitated as he spoke. "Oh Edwyn, I do hope that you are perfectly well this morning?"

Edwyn bowed his head only very slightly. "Lord… Lord Flyte. Yes, I find myself well enough. And yourself?"

Flyte momentarily fluttered about with his right hand then clutched the ornate clasp affixed to his coat over his heart. "Oh yes, I do suppose that I find myself as well as can be expected. However, I am most certainly more than a little concerned."

Edwyn returned a frown. His eyes flickered only briefly across the room, before returning quickly to Lord Flyte. "Has… has something happened?"

Flyte's eyes widened. "Oh yes. Have you not heard?"

Edwyn silently shook his head with raised eyebrows.

Flyte continued. "There were two murders in the castle, last evening. Two of them, right here in the castle. It's just terrible."

Edwyn again quickly looked about the room. "In the castle? Was it… was it anyone from… from…?"

Also briefly glancing about the room, Lord Flyte seemed to readily see what Edwyn was asking. "Oh no, no. Fortunately, no. Fortunately, none of the guests to the castle have been directly affected by what has transpired. At least, to the best of my knowledge. Even so, I do worry that it could well have easily been any one of us."

Edwyn shook his head in bewilderment. "What… what happened?"

Flyte took a deep breath. "You do understand that I am not privy to all the gory details? Most of what I've learned, has come only from second hand detail." He paused just long enough to be sure that he held attention. "Well then… one of the Royal Guard was found dead during the late hours of the evening. From what I heard, he was found sitting propped up against the wall in an alcove of a corridor. It was not so very far from the rear corridor connecting from the northern wing to the central sections of the castle. Not so very far from my own accommodations. Of course… of course, I've not learned exactly how he was killed. As I said, second hand detail. Perhaps he had disturbed an intruder in the castle and been… and then been killed… before anyone else could be alerted. Whatever the case, it's just terrible."

Frowning, Edwyn shook his head again as he absorbed what he'd just heard. "You said… you said there were 'two' murders?"

Flyte fidgeted with the clasp over his heart. "Oh yes, oh yes. They say, there was another one some time during the hours of darkness. From what I've heard, it was in the main kitchens. Or at the least, that's where they learned of it. It was one of the kitchen staff. A Bosmeri lass. Again, I do not know precisely how she was killed. However, I did hear that it was quite gruesome. They say… they say that she was horribly mutilated and then crammed into a small space. Beyond that… I do not know. Even so, it's just terrible."

"Yes ah… yes, yes it is." Edwyn sounded quite distracted. He was still going over the implications of what he'd just heard.

"I do hope that nothing has happened to either Arnaud or Marie." Flyte's word and tone drew Edwyn's attention. The Lord was gesturing toward the empty seats.

"I… I should hope not. I did stop by Kingsley's door this morning… along the way here. Since the assigned guard was not present outside and no answer from inside, I'd assumed he'd already gone ahead. I expected to see him already here. I, ah… I wouldn't know about Lafont." Edwyn cast a glance toward the main doors.

Lord Flyte tried to sound mildly reassuring. "Well, if it holds as any sort of consolation, I've not heard word of any of the visiting guests enduring assault during the evening. I've heard only of those two… those two incidents that I'd just mentioned."

Edwyn returned a tight-lipped nod of acceptance.

They were just momentarily interrupted by a servant placing a glass of water upon Edwyn's table. Edwyn indicated to the servant that the seats upon either side of him were also meant to be occupied. With a silent nod, the servant saw to placing glasses upon Kingsley and Lafont's tables.

Flyte again fidgeted with the ornate clasp over his breast. "I am quite certain that everything conceivably possible is being done to assure our safety within the walls of Castle Daggerfall. Minister Vici, Consul Carvain and Prince Regent Gothryd and each of those under their direction… well, every effort, I should think."

Edwyn nodded his agreement. "Yes, we should hope."

Flyte shook his head, fluttering his eyelids. "One cannot fault the measure of effort at all. However even with all such effort in place, the Royal Guard have still lost one of their own… and a vulnerable servant has also lost her life."

Edwyn released a little sigh. "I was hoping that Inspector Attius might have found some measure of success in his efforts to rout out the actual cause of… well, whatever it is that's happening."

Lord Flyte tilted his head. "I should imagine that he truly is making every effort to do so. Even so, one must understand that he cannot be in all places at once."

"No, of course not. Still, from what I can tell so far, the Inspector seems to be always turning up after the fact, rather than finding ways to prevent the cause of these things in the first instance."

Flyte gestured with his hand, wiggling his fingers. "I should think that he is doing his very best. I expect that is merely how such things must proceed. Though to be quite fair, I cannot say that I truly know the ins and outs of the procedures and methodologies employed by the Emperor's eyes and ears."

Edwyn nodded, but with a slight frown. He was just thinking on the turn of phrase, 'Emperor's eyes and ears'. It really was the literal meaning of the Imperial Penitus Oculatus, however he rarely heard it spoken aloud or even written like that in print.

They were interrupted once again by another servant. Upon that occasion, the staff attendant was taking orders for midday meals, to be delivered to rooms during the break. Even though Edwyn wasn't really feeling in the mood to be considering food, he placed a suitable order to cover both his bodyguard and himself. Apparently, Lord Flyte had already placed his orders slightly earlier.

It was during those brief moments that Edwyn was speaking with that servant, that Kingsley and Lafont had come in together through the main doors of the Grand Hall. Before having the opportunity to speak with anyone else, the same staff attendant intercepted the pair of them to ensure that orders were placed for the midday break.

Lord Flyte chose to remain with Edwyn as Kingsley and Lafont approached their designated seats. After brief greetings of acknowledgment were exchanged, the Lord of Anticlere expressed his sincere relief over seeing that both of those two were well, then went on to again outline what he knew of the previous evening's terrible incidents.

Kingsley was once more visibly shaken. "By the Divines. That's terrible. I feared something like that. Well, not precisely like that… but something. And I truly did feel the need to do something." He turned to look to Lafont.

Lafont nodded grimly. "Yeah, we've been down to the city this morning."

"Down to the city?" Edwyn sounded both curious and concerned.

Kingsley nodded in an animated manner. "Yes, yes. We were looking to acquiring the services of bodyguards for the next few days."

Lafont's expression remained more reserved. "Got lucky. The Fighters Guild had two people available for contract… and they were right there at the Guildhall this morning."

Kingsley chimed in again. "I do not doubt the dedication of the Royal Guard of Castle Daggerfall. However, I much prefer to have the protection of a dedicated bodyguard inside my quarters each evening."

Lord Flyte responded with an expression of assent. "A wise consideration, I should think… in the current circumstances. I imagine I'd be even more concerned, if not for Sir Dalric watching over me at all times. Well... at nearly all times." He cast a quick glance toward the main doors as he said that last part.

Kingsley added more. "I've also acquired some items from the Mages College."

Lafont interjected. "Nothing too dangerous or concerning. Just some defensive items for protection… and some additional curatives and such."

Flyte responded with wizened nod. "One cannot be too careful… in light of recent events."

"Yes, I... I agree." Edwyn sounded slightly distracted.

Kingsley noticed that documents had been placed upon the tables as they were speaking. "I have not yet had the opportunity to see what is on the schedule for today." As he spoke, the level of general chatter in the room seemed to shift.

Lord Flyte looked toward the front of the room. "Oh, it seems that the Consul might be preparing to call the morning to order."

Consul Carvain was standing just near the podium by the Cherim tapestry hanging on the wall. It appeared that Minister Vici had just been speaking with him and was moving off toward his seat in the front row.

The Lord of Anticlere politely excused himself, then quickly headed off to make his way for his seat. Edwyn, Kingsley and Lafont look to settling into their own seats and making some effort to take a quick look over the daily schedule.

After just a few moments, the Consul had called the Grand Hall to order, quietening the voices of the room. Aside from once again making some effort to offer reassuring words, emphasising that the increased presence of guards about the castle were looking toward the safety of everyone, he avoided making mention of anything specifically pertaining to the events of the previous evening. Ignoring some muffled utterances of dissent, Carvain pressed on with outlining items tabled for discussion that day, then going on to direct the proceedings toward the first item of business.

Though trying to keep his mind upon what was being raised for discussion, Edwyn couldn't help but be slightly distracted by what Lord Flyte had told him that morning. Judging from the occasional subdued murmurs heard now and then from various other persons seated in the room, he reasonably suspected that he wasn't the only one who's thoughts drifted from the task at hand.

Without any specific knowledge to properly inform him, Edwyn remained nervously concerned over whatever it was that had been happening within the walls of Castle Daggerfall over the past few days. Unless there was some convoluted and thus far unknown vendetta in play, he could only envision some substance to the notion that Minister Vici had suggested the previous morning. It did really seem as though someone was actively seeking to disrupt the success of the trade summit. Exactly who that might be or specifically why, remained a complete mystery and an increasingly dangerous one at that.

Glancing about the room periodically, an errant though crossed his mind. Though it could hardly have been viewed as intentional, he considered that Lord Flyte's penchant for gossip and rumour easily fed into adding fuel to the fire of disruption to the summit. Of course, Flyte wasn't the only one involved in that. Added to that, at least as far as could be reasonably understood, the members of the delegation seemed unlikely to be directly involved in the murders and attempted murders of the past few days. More than one of them had appeared to have been the target of certain incidents. Though he found no comfort at all in the notion, he supposed that it was possible that just one of delegates in the room could be somehow involved in what was going on. From Edwyn's perspective, the greater number of those present remained as either only casual acquaintances or else relative strangers. He conceded to himself that he didn't truly know anyone well enough to be certain that they could not be involved in such things.

Even so, Edwyn certainly preferred to think that whoever was responsible for what was going on was someone completely outside of those he'd met in attendance at the summit. He couldn't easily imagine who that might be, but he truly hoped that Inspector Attius and the guards would soon find the person or persons responsible and put an end to it.

Sighing and shaking his head subtly, Edwyn tried his best to return his attention to the matters being discussed that morning.

~O~


	17. Chapter 17

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 17

Morndas the 5th of Evening Star 4E71 Afternoon

Edwyn hardly found much surprise in feeling that the morning summit meetings seemed to drag on for quite a bit, with seemingly nothing resembling sweeping change coming from any of it. Even so, he supposed that affirmation of the status quo and the consideration of some minor adjustments still served the purpose of the summit. After all, for the most part, trade concerns throughout the western provinces would continue to operate in a mutually acceptable fashion and generally cordial relations would be maintained throughout the region. As he understood it, that really was the purpose of the whole thing. If nothing else, he was glad to have faced the morning coming off a good night's sleep. It all seemed far more difficult to endure while fighting off his own fatigue, as had been the case on the previous day.

Only one topic of the morning more or less directly affected Edwyn's concerns. The broader framework of the tea trade was discussed during the latter part of the morning. Given that he'd been tasked with representing the tea growers of Gavaudon, along with the Wayrest merchants, that topic required his closer attention. As reasonably anticipated, it seemed that nothing much appeared likely to change in the broader scheme of things. That discussion was mostly intended to lay the foundation for more specific pricing and trade negotiations to be conducted between individual parties.

The morning sessions adjourned just after noon, providing ample time for everyone to go eat and briefly rest during the midday break. As everyone in the room was rising from the seats, Edwyn noticed Lord Flyte with the Countess of Menevia in close discussion. They remained side by side in hushed discourse as they moved off toward the main exit from the Grand Hall. Given that both appeared slightly stressed as they rushed off, he imagined that they weren't talking about the tea trade. It was reasonable to expect that it had something to do their concerns over the disturbing incidents of previous days within the castle.

Observing that all the foreign Redguard remained clustered in a group as they moved off, Edwyn also noticed that Minister Harim's aide seemed to have recovered from the poisoning incident of Loredas evening. The dark skinned man appeared possibly a little nervous and wary, but otherwise seemed to look like he was in reasonable health.

Waiting for the opportunity to gain access to the doors leading out to the anteroom, Edwyn was made verbally aware of how Kingsley was still rather annoyed over what transpired during the morning as western banking interests were very briefly discussed. That was one matter where maintaining the status quo was not at all what Kingsley wanted and he remained somewhat vocal about it.

The interests of Wayrest were acknowledged in the discussion. However, the Bank of Daggerfall was still not open to permitting any of Wayrest banks to operate independently within the ruling city of Daggerfall or its broader territories. By established mandate of Daggerfall's bank and the ruling family, they remained only willing to continue to allow select representatives from approved Wayrest's banks to operate from within the Bank of Daggerfall. Even then, there were still a number of restrictions upon the range of business that could be conducted. It seemed clear enough from what was said that morning, that nothing was likely to change in any short order.

Once movement allowed Edwyn's group to move out into the anteroom, Kingsley and Lafont were joined by their new Fighters Guild bodyguards. Without passing comment, Edwyn noticed that the Breton and Nord Guild Fighters had been sitting with Yurma. Whether there was anything more to that remained less obvious thus far.

Evidently, those castle guards previously assigned to watch over Kingsley and Lafont had been dismissed in favour of the contracted bodyguards from the Fighters Guild. There still seemed no shortage of other castle guards to be seen about. That was even more obvious as the group of six moved off together from the anteroom, headed for the southern wing of the castle. Just as Edwyn had experienced earlier that morning, they'd been stopped at several points along the way and asked to properly identify themselves to the Royal Guard. That activity added some minor delay.

Though at least some the Royal Guard appeared to recognise those two local Guild Fighters, they still went through the procedure of looking at their papers. As earlier that morning, more suspicion was directed toward the Orcish Guild Fighter in the group. Yurma took it all in stride, without any indication of objection. However, Edwyn found that he felt slightly annoyed that so much disdain was directed toward his Orcish bodyguard, when there were clearly far greater concerns in play. Whoever might be at the source of those concerns, it truly seemed far less likely to be an Orc from the Fighters Guild.

Soon enough, they'd arrived at Kingsley's quarters and he headed on inside with his burly Nord bodyguard. After that, Edwyn and Yurma made it to their guest suite and Lafont continued onward to her own quarters with her Breton bodyguard.

* * *

Back inside the guest suite, Edwyn immediately headed for the bathroom with a certain measure of urgency in mind, then afterward returned to settle upon one of the sofas as Yurma took a moment to also visit the bathroom. As they waited for the meal carts to pass by, Edwyn raised the topic of those other two other Guild Fighters.

Yurma responded in a matter of fact tone. "Yeah, those two seemed friendly enough with me. Must've been told about me beforehand. Guess I kinda stand out as the only female Orc from Wayrest's Fighters Guild in town."

"So, they knew of you? By name?"

Yurma shook her head with a little shrug. "Not by name. I just figured that Kingsley or Lafont must've said something… from how they acted. Just knew I was Fighters Guild, so that seemed good enough for them."

Edwyn returned a silent nod.

Yurma continued. "Breton goes by Dantien. Came from Camlorn about ten years back. The Nord's called Hans."

With a frown, Edwyn repeated the name. "Hans. Wasn't there a Hans in Wayrest? In the Guild? Hans the Tall… or something like that?" He was just thinking how there were several Nords in Wayrest named Hans, but he thought he recalled that one of them was in that Guild.

Yurma shook her head. "Not in my time. Heard of a Nord called Hans the Fair, who came and went before I got there. You might be thinking of Hans the Taller. Works the forge for the smith over in Westmarket, across the street from Westcorner."

Edwyn shook his head. Since so few Nords traditionally used family names, he still found it astonishing that Hans was such a common name. Even though it had originally only been to satisfy the sensibilities of working for the Imperial Trading Company, during his time in the Imperial City, Edwyn was somewhat glad that his Nord father had taken and kept the Northwind name. It really made certain things far easier.

Ignoring Edwyn's slightly strained expression, Yurma resumed. "Anyhow, this Hans says he was originally from up the Reach area, but he's been in Daggerfall for years. Both him and Dantien have been Daggerfall Fighters Guild for about a decade."

Nodding, Edwyn sounded distracted. "I see."

"Both of them said some stuff about those vampire problems around town over past months. Didn't seem real convinced that the vampire hunter who came into town finished the job properly."

Edwyn was about to respond, when a knock was heard at the door.

Yurma got up right away to go see who was there. It was no surprise that it was a servant with a meal cart delivering what Edwyn had ordered earlier. As previously, Edwyn soon joined Yurma by the doorway, mostly in order to alleviate any unnecessary tension arising from the servant having to deal with an armoured Orc. They took possession of the meals and headed for the small table next to the sitting room area, then Edwyn waited patiently for Yurma to check over the meals before proceeding.

Though it remained very much upon his mind as he ate, Edwyn waited until they were nearly done before speaking of what Lord Flyte had told earlier that morning. "I expect that you have heard of the incidents in the castle last night?"

Sipping from her mug, Yurma nodded. "Yeah, heard about it. One of the Royal Guard killed over in the north wing and a kitchen hand in the main kitchens."

He was momentarily astonished by how casually she seemed to accept the broader aspect of that circumstance. With a grim expression, Edwyn went on to further clarify with the scant level of detail that Lord Flyte had earlier provided.

Yurma returned another nod. "Yeah, sounds pretty much like what I heard. Not a lot of clear detail. Sounds like that guard was taken by surprise. Found by another guard. Must've been done real quiet and nobody seems to know about anyone who coulda done it." She paused to shake her head. "Heard even less about that kitchen hand."

"So the other bodyguards… they were all talking about it?"

Yurma wrinkled her nose. "Talking? Yeah, but nobody really seems to know all that much. Heard that the Guard Captain and the Inspector were looking into what happened, but dunno much about what they found."

Edwyn responded with only another silent grimace.

Yurma set down her empty mug. "Obviously, Dantien and Hans wanted to know more about what's been going on. Since they're s'posed to be protecting Kingsley and Lafont. Don't think Kingsley's told Hans exactly what happened with Copperton, so I kinda held back a bit on that."

Edwyn opened, then closed his mouth. His expression prompted her to continue.

"Yeah well, they know about the poisonings, invisible intruders and the murder of a bodyguard in the castle… and now those two from last night. The general idea that it might be more about the summit, than anyone in particular… but it still could be about something else."

Edwyn appeared to struggle with his thoughts, feeling the need for a thoughtful response, even if he didn't have one. "Well, what did they think of it all?"

Yurma shrugged. "Went over it a bit with Dantien and he pointed out there must be a pattern, but it ain't easy to see. Looks like no obvious pattern, except that each thing has been inside the castle, as far we've been told. So far, Lord Flyte's the only noble directly affected. The poisoning of that Redguard aide could've been meant for the Sentinel Minister, but we dunno that. Except for Lafont's intruder, everything else had been somewhere in the corridors… except for maybe that one in the kitchens… if it actually happened there."

Edwyn shook his head slightly. "So, neither of them really had any better idea? Like a fresh perspective on things?"

Yurma shrugged once again. "Not really. Hans reckons it's still about more vampires about in Daggerfall. Dantien thinks there might be foreign spies and assassins. Mostly cos there's so many more foreigners in Daggerfall right now. And cos he can't see the sense in vampires getting into the castle."

Edwyn frowned. "I thought that they might possibly have thought of something… or knew of something that was being overlooked."

"Both of them reckon they'd like to have a go at stopping whoever's responsible, but the job is keeping someone alive and protected from danger. So, that comes first. They ain't idiots."

Edwyn responded with a thoughtful nod. In truth, he was easily glad that Yurma's primary interest was in seeing to his safety in Daggerfall. Even so, he'd much prefer that there was far less danger in play to be protected from.

Before it was time to head back over to the Grand Hall, another castle servant had dropped by to check on drinking water, candles or any other requirements. At the same time, Yurma was able to have the dishes and mugs taken away.

After Edwyn had taken one last quick visit to the bathroom and checked through his document satchel, they were off again for the remainder of the afternoon.

As Yurma was locking the door from the outside, a pair of guards appeared from the far corner along the corridor to the west. They appeared to momentarily glare with directed suspicion. Though they were a bit too far off to clearly hear, it sounded like one had said 'Orc' and the other had mentioned 'Fighters Guild'. Evidently, Yurma had been recognised clearly enough that no further interest seemed necessary.

At that moment, Edwyn just briefly considered whether Lafont had already come through from that direction, but with those wary guards still glaring, he thought it less troublesome to avoid lingering in the corridor and just continue onward in the direction he was meant to be headed.

Around the next corner, Edwyn wondered whether Kingsley was still in his quarters or otherwise. Since he no longer had a castle guard posted at his door, it was no longer quite so obvious. Even so, with that burly Nord bodyguard watching over him, there was somewhat less reason to be concerned for his safety.

Continuing onward, Edwyn and Yurma again encountered guards posted at various checkpoints along the way, where they were expected to display their papers before freely passing. By the time that they arrived at the anteroom outside the Grand Hall, Hans and Dantien were already there seated on the benches on the right, indicating that Kingsley and Lafont were already inside. Given existing familiarity and the empty space next to the Breton, Yurma took a seat with them.

Edwyn displayed his papers to the guards at the main doors to the Grand Hall and headed on inside for the afternoon session of the summit.

* * *

Edwyn Northwind found that the afternoon seemed to pass far more quickly than during previous days. That circumstance was likely influenced by the shift in the proceedings of things scheduled for that particular session. Only one item of note was openly discussed in the usual manner during the earlier portion of the afternoon.

After that, the delegates inside the Grand Hall had broken off into groups for various specific negotiations. Edwyn noted that Kingsley and Lafont were involved in some sort of shipping and financing negotiation. He also noticed that Lafont's Daggerfall counterpart was directly involved in that, as well as Kingsley's local counterpart, LeBlanc, and some others from Daggerfall and Camlorn.

For his immediate concern, Edwyn had been tasked with taking part in the discussions of two groups with various participants, some of whom were actually involved in both of those things.

The first matter involved negotiations related to textiles and the like. Certain interests in High Rock were keen to secure renewed agreements related to export of cotton and linen. Of course, that was more or less in alignment with the interests of Redguard territories seeking assured supply of those commodities and also looking to secure export of their own related products.

The second round of negotiations that Edwyn participated in was involving the tea trade. That again attracted the interest of those Redguard representatives. Certain Hammerfell territories were renowned for the export of various spices that typically favoured growing in arid climes. At the same time, Redguard traders favoured various varieties of teas that only grew well in certain parts of High Rock. Of course, that meant that agreements were not difficult to negotiate. Only the details of costs and volumes led to some measure of interesting haggling.

Though Edwyn's representation of Gavaudon tea growers brought him into some direct competition with Menevia and Camlorn, the somewhat equal interest in each of those markets shown by the Redguard representatives made things pass without much trouble.

One part of those negotiations also involved a brief conversation with Imperial Minister Vici. Given that the Emperor apparently favoured the ongoing import of various regional teas via Cyrodiil's Imperial Trading Company, that also passed remarkably simply from Edwyn's perspective.

Once he was done with all of it, Edwyn was mildly surprised to learn from a passing attendant that it was only just about to pass the hour of five. He would've thought that it surely had to be nearer to six. Noting that Kingsley had apparently also finished and had returned to his assigned seat in the fifth row to go over some documents, Edwyn decided to join him.

Resuming his seat, Edwyn responded to Kingsley's brief glance. "You've finished up for the afternoon as well?"

After completing making a note on a document, Kingsley answered. "Yes, all done. For the most part, I should think. I thought I'd wait for Lafont to finish up, before heading out."

Edwyn cast a glance back toward a table at the rear where Marie Lafont was still in discussion with her Daggerfall counterpart and someone from Camlorn. "I hope that things passed well… in a productive manner?"

Kingsley returned a nod. "Yes, well enough, I should think. At the least, as well as can be reasonably expected."

Edwyn's curious expression prompted Kingsley to elaborate a little.

"Both Lafont and myself were engaged in some negotiations with a major shipping operation based out of Camlorn. They are looking to the ongoing financing of ship repair… as well as the commissioning of two new vessels to be added to their fleet in the coming year."

"That sounds… productive."

Kingsley nodded again. "Yes, for the most part. They were looking to making a deal with Wayrest banks for funds… loans. Of course, I much prefer to be dealing with them more directly. However, the arrangements to broker things are to be done via the Daggerfall Bank… well, that's the way things need to be done."

"I understand." Edwyn hoped to avoid provoking further lamentation over how the Daggerfall Bank remained intractable in such matters.

As Kingsley sorted and stacked his papers in preparation for placement in his document satchel, Edwyn noticed the Redguard delegates headed for the exit in a clustered group. Lord Flyte was with them, seemingly engaged in friendly conversation with Qasim, the representative from Stros M'Kai.

Casting another glance over his shoulder, back toward Lafont, Edwyn observed that it seemed that she was still not quite finished with what she was discussing.

Turning and looking around toward the front of the room near the podium, Edwyn noticed that Countess Menevia and the Duke of Alcaire were in discussion with Prince Regent Gothryd. Consul Carvain watched on, nodding and smiling. Given the commonly known lack of affinity between the Countess and the Duke, he imagined that it was only the presence of Gothryd influencing their outward pleasantries. Kingsley passed a subdued comment, saying much the same.

It was still earlier than the time that the afternoon sessions of previous days had concluded. However with all of his papers packed away in his satchel, and more of the other delegates departed than remaining, Edwyn was starting to feel rather restless with just waiting about in the Grand Hall. Before having too long to think about it, his unsettled thoughts were disrupted by Kingsley's words.

"I think that she is done now."

Edwyn again turned around to see that Lafont was just departing the company of those other delegates and starting to head in their direction.

A moment later, Lafont had joined Edwyn and Kingsley. With her documents already gathered, she didn't appear inclined to take a seat or linger.

Kingsley spoke up first. "Everything passed well, I hope?"

"Well enough." Lafont's tone indicated she wasn't planning on elaborating further.

"Very good, very good." Kingsley returned a satisfied nod.

Without actually speaking, Edwyn's expression telegraphed that he concurred with Kingsley's opinion.

Lafont gestured in the direction of the exit. "Unless either of you have any good reason to stay here, I've had enough for today."

Murmurs of assent were uttered as both Kingsley and Edwyn rose from their seats and they all headed for the guarded doors leading out of the Grand Hall. Though the guards remained silent, a loud voice could be heard out in the anteroom as the heavy doors parted.

"Nuthin' to connect. S'all goat's piss an' magic." Hans suddenly fell silent, as soon as he realised people were coming through the doors toward them.

Along with Hans, both Dantien and Yurma rose from their seats in response to the approach of their respective charges. Edwyn casually noticed that there seemed to be at least four more guards posted in the anteroom than earlier. Several of the other bodyguards seemed to have already departed with the delegates they were assigned to protect. He also noticed that the Countess Menevia's Imperial Battlemage was sitting on his own with an annoyed expression on his face and one of Royal Guard was standing near to him. It seemed an indication of something odd, but Edwyn didn't see the need to immediately speak of it.

Joined by their respective bodyguards, the group started heading back for the southern wing of Castle Daggerfall. At various checkpoints along the way, they were required to attend the ritual of producing papers to guards, before continuing on their way. Aside from Kingsley commenting upon looking forward to an evening meal and Lafont's terse and distracted agreement with the notion, very little was said along the way. Of course, the three bodyguards remained relatively quiet as they pass along the halls and corridors.

Soon enough, Kingsley was heading into his quarters with Hans. Then Edwyn and Yurma made it back their own guest suite, as Lafont and Dantien continued onward.

* * *

After firstly attending to the pressing call to visit the bathroom, Edwyn returned to the sitting room area and then thought to ask Yurma of some things before they completely slipped his mind.

"What was the Nord… what was Hans going on about just before?

Yurma returned a passing expression of confusion, before realising what he probably meant. "Ah that… Yeah, Dantien was trying to put together ideas about some sort of pattern… with all the things that have happened in the castle."

Edwyn frowned. "And Hans doesn't agree?"

Yurma shrugged in an exaggerated manner. "Yeah ah… dunno. Maybe some of it makes sense... and some of it, maybe not. More that Dantien was talking about a bunch of possible things and Hans keeps talking about vampires."

Edwyn shook his head slightly, indicating that he wasn't quite following.

Yurma resumed. "Yeah well, Dantien was trying to lay out everything in a sensible order… looking at when and where… and how."

Edwyn shook his head again.

"First thing we know of. Lord Flyte was poisoned with something. He fell down in the Grand Hall on Turdas night… but since they found nothing, he must've been poisoned earlier, with something that takes a while to kick in. Dunno where that happened. Maybe somewhere in the castle."

Edwyn returned a silent nod.

"Next thing was Fredas night. Copperton got killed coming back from town. Even if nobody saw anything, you'd think it happened somewhere in the south wing. Cos he couldn't have got too far with a big chunk of ice in his chest… and whatever that dust stuff was about his neck."

Edwyn interrupted. "Does Hans…?"

Yurma nodded. "Yeah, Kingsley told him all about Copperton. Must've been during the midday break. Anyhow, next thing is next night. On Loredas night, the Sentinel Minister's aide is poisoned with something. Over in the north wing, we figure. Unless that Minister is poisoning his own aide, or it's one of the Redguard bodyguards, points to something coming from the castle staff… or at least someone in the kitchens."

"Makes sense." Edwyn nodded again.

"Then later that night, Lafont has a cloaked intruder over this side of the castle during the early hours. Nobody seen, but now it points to somebody with cloaking magic… or something enchanted. Didn't seem serious about fighting her when she started swinging a sword. Just took off in a hurry."

Edwyn interrupted again. "Each thing has actually occurred during the hours of darkness. Oh… I suppose that the poisonings could have occurred earlier."

Yurma shrugged. "None of visitors to the castle attacked during Sundas night, as far as we know. Then, a guard and a kitchen hand killed before dawn on Morndas. Now that guard could've just been unlucky enough to be in the way… or something like that. But, that kitchen hand could be something else. Maybe the one doing the poisoning… or maybe just disturbed whoever is doing that… dunno."

Edwyn was frowning again. "So… so what does that tell us?

Yurma hesitated a moment before responding. "Aside from the obvious, dunno."

"The obvious?"

Yurma released a little sigh. "As far as we know, it only started the night before the summit… or that day. Six attacks so far."

"That we know of."

"Yeah, that we know of. Only half ended up dead. None of them nobles, but that coulda turned out different, easy enough."

"Yes, easily enough."

"Even with all the extra guards and patrols and that, it ain't stopped. Just none of the visitors to the castle got attacked last night. Dantien still reckons there must be some sort of pattern to it, but it just ain't obvious."

"But Hans…?"

Yurma made a snorting noise. "He thinks it gotta be vampires. Cloaked intruders and magic involved." She waved an open hand.

"Why would vampires try to poison people? Was… was anything said about… about anyone being… drain of blood… or something like that?"

Yurma shook her head. "Not that we've heard about. Dantien pointed out that maybe two things happened on just either side of us, but nobody's tried to get in here."

Edwyn shrugged a little. "Perhaps, because of you? The attacker thought it too much trouble to take on a trained Orcish Guild Fighter?"

Yurma shook her head again. "Dunno. Maybe. It does still seem like it's all about disrupting the summit, but it's all over the place. Dantien also pointed out that maybe it's only meant to look like it's about disrupting the summit, while actually trying get at someone or something in particular."

Edwyn blinked his eyes, trying to unravel what that might mean.

Yurma continued. "Yeah, I dunno either. Whatever's going on, I gotta just look to keeping us out of it and looking to keeping us safe."

Edwyn sighed. "Well, I certainly have no argument with that."

A knock at the door interrupted whatever Yurma was about to say. She was up and headed for the door before Edwyn had even shifted in his seat. A castle staff attendant was there to take orders for evening meals. The younger Breton was notably more comfortable with speaking with Edwyn, once he'd arrived at the doorway. Soon enough, orders were placed and the servant was again on his way.

After the interruption, another thought returned to Edwyn's mind. "Back outside the Grand Hall… Was there something going on with the Imperial Battlemage? Countess Menevia's bodyguard?"

Yurma grimaced. "Oh yeah. Bit of an argument flared up before."

"Argument?"

"Yeah, someone heard Dantien's suggestion about the possibility of foreign spies and assassins in the castle. Another Breton said he'd be watching out for foreign elves, if there were any about, which there ain't too many at all." She paused with narrowed eyes. "I think someone looked at the Hammerfell bodyguards the wrong way, cos of the Redguard got a bit argumentative. He started going on about magic users and alchemists… and there were some words between that Redguard and the Battlemage. The castle guards shut it down and made them sit in opposite corners."

Edwyn shook his head.

Responding to Yurma's inquiry regarding what passed inside the Grand Hall during the afternoon, Edwyn offered only the broader detail of it. He did note that he thought that Kingsley appeared far less concerned for his personal safety since contracting the Nord bodyguard earlier that morning. He thought that it seemed to flow on to his functionality in the summit meetings. Lafont hardly seemed different either before or after securing a bodyguard.

Before long, another servant had arrived at the door delivering the evening meals. The usual ritual passed before Edwyn touched the food or drink. Some other conversation passed before Edwyn set to checking over some documents and Yurma took to reading a book.

Before the evening grew terribly late, Edwyn looked to turning in, with the hope of a relatively peaceful night's sleep.

~O~


	18. Chapter 18

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 18

Tirdas the 6th of Evening Star 4E71 Early Morning

Edwyn Northwind thought that he was dreaming, but something else had woken him with a sudden start. Whatever the topic of the dreams he'd been experiencing, that was instantly forgotten as he realised that he'd heard distant noises coming from somewhere outside the guest suite. He still wasn't quite sure of what it was that he'd heard or even what time it might be. Only that he suspected that it was likely still some time before the dawn.

Quickly and quietly slipping from the covers, Edwyn rose from the bed and shifted to peer over the separating screen between the bedroom area and the rest of the suite. At that moment, he again heard more noises. What he heard sounded like muted shouts coming from somewhere off in the distance, as well as the noise of boots rushing by just outside in the corridor.

By the dim light of a single oil lamp, he could see that Yurma was already up from the sofa and standing by the door with axe and shield in hand. Wary of calling out, Edwyn padded over a little nearer to where his Orcish bodyguard was listening intently to what was beyond the heavy door.

With her head turned in Edwyn's direction Yurma silently glared back at him.

After a further moment of looking back through bleary eyes, Edwyn gestured in a questioning manner.

Another lengthy moment passed before she responded in muted tone. "Something going on out there. Dunno what."

Edwyn hesitated, before speaking quietly. "Then… then, what do you think?"

"Sounds like guards are chasing someone. Heard a guard telling someone to get back inside and lock the door. Dunno who… or where."

Edwyn silently gestured toward the keyhole of the door.

"Locked." Yurma showed that she held the key in the hand gripping her shield.

The slightly staggered sounds of boots upon the stone floor outside were heard once again. Already feeling suitably alarmed, Edwyn nearly soiled his nightclothes as the heavy and urgent sounding knocking echoed loudly from the timber door. Though clearly alert and ready for action, Yurma maintained her outward composure.

"Royal Guard." A brusque male voice made the declaration, then knocked again.

Yurma shifted her axe to the hand with the shield on her forearm, taking the key into her right hand. She fumbled a little as she unlocked the door to open it.

As the door parted, the male soldier peered inside. He frowned as he glared at the Orcish bodyguard. "No trouble? No intruders?"

"No-no… no trouble." Edwyn forced himself to speak, uncertain of whether Yurma's word would be satisfactory.

Yurma added a firm response. "Nothing here, but I stand ready."

The guard nodded. "Lock the door."

"What's happening?" Edwyn felt surprised that he'd spoken out loud.

"Stay inside. Lock the door." The guard clearly had nothing to add.

Yurma pushed the heavy door closed again and turned the key in the lock. She looked to Edwyn. He was still standing there nearly motionless, staring at the door with a concerned expression.

He appeared slightly startled as Yurma spoke. "Nothing to do. All them guards will be handling it. Whatever it is."

Edwyn blinked his eyes, shifting his attention to Yurma. "What… what do you think it is about?"

Yurma frowned and shrugged. "You heard him. Asked about an intruder or trouble… so, they're chasing down an intruder, from the sounds of it. With all those guards running about, I reckon that's about that… as far as we're concerned. Won't be any problem for us now."

Edwyn returned a confused expression. Shaking his head very slightly, he silently opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Yurma gestured toward the rear of the guest suite. "You might as well head back to bed. Probably won't be any more trouble with all them soldiers about, but I'll be keeping one eye out." Keeping her axe and shield on hand, she headed for the sofa where she been sleeping.

Edwyn shifted his glance back and forth between the door and the sofa. "What time do you think it is?"

Settling into a comfortable position of the sofa, Yurma shrugged. "At a guess, maybe after three, not yet four. Something like that."

Edwyn returned a weary nod and looked back toward the bedroom area. "I'm not sure that I feel like sleeping… but perhaps… perhaps I should try to rest."

Saying nothing, Yurma only nodded her agreement.

Stifling a mild yawn, Edwyn made his way back to bed, suddenly noticing that he was feeling the cold a little. Climbing back beneath the covers, he tried to set aside his immediate concern over what might be happening outside. In any case, it was all well beyond any of his control. He reminded himself that he should try to trust that the matter was in hand. He also reminded himself that Yurma was watching out for any sign of trouble. Though she might have seemed outwardly casual over the circumstances, he remained confident that she would be precisely as alert as she need to be to any change in things.

Trying to distract himself, Edwyn thought about some of what had passed at the summit meetings in the Grand Hall over past days. At some point, he suddenly recalled part of what he'd been dreaming about when his sleep was interrupted. It was one of those silly mixed up dreams where parts of his childhood were blended with things from later years. His father was still alive and looked much younger than when he'd last seen him. The whole family was living up above the shop on Wayrest's East Boulevard. Just like when he was very young. However, Edwyn and his sisters were all grown up. Francine was there, looking just as she had when they were first married. Erika's husband, Roberto, was there as well. Though he'd not actually seen either of them in person for years, Monika's current husband was there with her; both of them looking just as they'd appeared back then.

Far more easily than he might have reasonably expected, at some point as he was thinking about the comforting absurdity of what he'd been dreaming, Edwyn had drifted off back to sleep again.

* * *

Edwyn stirred from his slumber. Through bleary eyes, he noticed that Yurma was coming out of the bathroom at the rear corner of the guest suite and heading back toward the sitting room area. He called out with a croaky voice.

"Is it morning?"

"Maybe coming up on seven."

Edwyn blinked his eyes. With some sluggish effort, he pushed aside the covers and rose from the bed, intent upon heading directly for the bathroom.

Evidently, Yurma had left a candle burning in the bathroom and the flames beneath the boiler made it feel a little warmer in there. After attending to immediate matters, Edwyn looked to washing and shaving, then departed to dress for the day.

Outside of the slightly warmer bathroom, Edwyn quickly noticed that it seemed even cooler than he'd anticipated that morning. After putting on his heavy coat, he buttoned it up before heading out into the sitting room area.

Yurma was seated upon the sofa with a book in her hand. Her axe and shield remained close at hand. He noticed that she was wearing some of her armour, but not all of it.

Edwyn expressed casual inquiry. "Is it much colder this morning, or is it just my imagination?"

Yurma shrugged. "Maybe. Could set a fire in the brazier, if you want?"

Edwyn shook his head. "I suppose that it's probably not quite that cold."

Yurma shrugged again. "Dantien said it still looked like more showers on the way yesterday morning, but I guess the skies might've cleared up. That'd make for colder mornings."

"Yes, I suppose so." Edwyn silently reminded himself that it was less than four weeks before the end of the year, so it was likely even cooler outside.

Edwyn's thoughts returned to the disturbances in the corridors last evening. "Any more… any trouble? After that guard stopped by?"

With a grimace, Yurma shook her head. "Heard some more guards going by a few times, but no more loud shouting or the like. Fair to guess that either they got who they were after… or else they got away."

Reflecting her expression, Edwyn shook his head again. "At this point, I don't quite know which would be better. I do hope that nobody was hurt."

Yurma shrugged again. "Nothing we can do about it. Plenty of guards out there… and they want all of us lot to keep out of the way."

Edwyn nodded, accepting her word.

Yurma looked to him with a frown. "You heard how many days this summit is gonna last? You said a week or so?"

Edwyn affected a thoughtful expression. "I've not yet learned of a firm timetable for when we'll be finished. Even so, as I understand it, we should probably be done by Loredas… or certainly Sundas at the very latest, I should think."

Yurma returned a grunt of acknowledgment and looked away.

Observing that she seemed somewhat less talkative, Edwyn moved to the table to take a glass of water. As he was drinking, a knock at the door prompted Yurma to quickly rise from the sofa. Though she left her shield behind, she kept her short handled axe at her back as she unlocked the door.

Given the likely time of morning, it seemed no great surprise that it was a castle server with a meal cart in the corridor outside. The Breton woman on the other side of the doorway seemed observably more surprised to be greeted by an armoured Orc. The soldier of the Royal Guard standing just a few paces behind her appeared to provide a certain measure of confidence as she glanced back to see that he was still there.

As had become ritual by then, Edwyn came to the door to look to acquiring morning meals from the cart. Yurma stood off to one side. Maintaining polite conversation as he inquired of what was available that morning, Edwyn learned that it was just after eight. Curious of the guard out in the hall, Edwyn made casual inquiry of whether everything was all right after last night. The Breton woman had nothing to say on the matter and the guard appeared disinclined to reveal anything, only gruffly advising that everything was well in hand. Edwyn hardly felt reassured but accepted that he wasn't going hear any more from that particular guard.

Once Yurma had checked over the food and drink, they sat and ate at the small table by the sitting room area. Conversation remained somewhat muted. Edwyn tried to draw Yurma into speculation over what might have happened in the castle during the early hours, but she had little to add to what she'd already said. She mostly held to the opinion that they'd just have wait and see.

Trying to turn his mind away from things he held no control over, Edwyn looked to briefly going over some of his documents, again reviewing some of what was dealt with the previous day and considering what might lay ahead for the coming day at the summit.

Before the hour grew too late, Edwyn gathered his things and visited the bathroom one last time in preparation to head off for the morning.

* * *

After locking the door to the guest suite, Edwyn and Yurma started moving off in the proper direction. Without passing comment, Edwyn had noticed that there was a soldier of the Royal Guard posted down the hall to the left, just near that side corridor leading to Lafont's quarters. Though that seemed a little different from previous days, he didn't think it really so surprising, in light of current events. The guard had looked in their direction as they were leaving, but appeared otherwise unconcerned.

Rounding the first corner, Edwyn spotted another guard posted further along that next hallway near another side corridor. Uncertain of whether it might seem suspicious, he paused just outside Kingsley's door and turned to Yurma.

"I'd like to check on Kingsley, if he's still there."

Yurma responded only with a silent nod.

After knocking and waiting for a moment, the door opened. The burly Nord Guild Fighter immediately recognised them, but waited a moment until Kingsley called out, inviting them inside.

Of course, Edwyn was expecting to see Kingsley and Hans, but was just mildly surprised to observe that Lafont and Dantien were in there as well.

Once very brief greetings were exchanged, the obvious topic upon everyone's mind was quickly raised.

Kingsley looked to Edwyn with uncertain expectation. "Do you have any idea at all of what was happening during the early hours?"

Glancing to Yurma, Edwyn shook his head. "Well, not really. Other than it seemed that the guards were chasing someone."

Yurma spoke up. "A guard came to our door to check on us, then left."

Hans nodded with a grimace. "I tried to take a look outside, but the guards sent me back in and told me to keep the door locked. Wouldn't say nothin' else."

Edwyn looked to Lafont with a questioning glance.

The Breton woman shook her head. "I can't say I know anything more. Noticed a guard escorting the meal cart this morning. He wouldn't say anything either. Also noticed guards posted at spots along the halls this morning."

Edwyn returned a nod. "Yes, I saw that as well."

Dantien made his voice heard. "Apart from those few things, none of us know what it was about yet… and the guards we've seen so far aren't speaking of it."

Kingsley shook his head with a concerned expression. "I'm sure that the castle guards are doing everything they can… and I'm glad to have Hans here looking to my safety… but still I do find it all quite concerning. Perhaps more so, that we remain uninformed of the precise dangers."

Edwyn tried to sound reassuring. "With any measure of luck, perhaps they actually managed to put a proper end to it all last night."

Kingsley responded somewhat enthusiastically. "Well if there is any luck involved, then perhaps we'll be hearing the Consul boasting about how the culprits were rounded up and captured last night."

Lafont weighed in. "If that'd already happened, there probably wouldn't be those extra guards out in the halls this morning."

Lafont's comment elicited sober expressions. In a less pessimistic tone, she added something more. "Whatever the case, I'd still rather be hearing something about what's going on. Maybe we will hear something this morning at the Grand Hall."

Soon enough they were gathering themselves to depart Kingsley's quarters and head off for the central section of the castle.

Those guards posted on their own in the corridors nearby weren't interested in stopping the group or engaging in passing conversation. They merely kept watch. Edwyn thought that a little odd, since he couldn't see how those guards could tell that they were each who they appeared to be.

Beyond those lone guards posted near the guest quarters, the behaviour of some others seemed more familiar. Just like the previous day, there were other checkpoints along the way, where other groups of guards requested identification before allowing them to pass.

As they were negotiating the checkpoint just before the main castle entrance, Lord Flyte and Sir Dalric could be seen coming in from outside. They appeared to receive a far more cordial response from the guards at the main door, than Edwyn and his companions experienced at the checkpoints.

Observing Edwyn, Kingsley and Lafont there with their respective bodyguards, Flyte headed straight over. His armoured knight followed closely behind. Apparently having observed that Lord Flyte and his bodyguard had just been cleared at the entrance, the checkpoint guards displayed no motivated interest.

Upon reaching the group, any semblance of proper greetings passed only as silent gestures, as the Lord of Anticlere launched directly into anxious commentary.

"I'm so very glad to see that each of you are unharmed. After last evening, I again find myself not feeling at all safe within the walls of this castle. I simply needed to go outside into the morning sunlight. If only to take a short walk." Flyte cast a quick glance back toward his armoured bodyguard, then returned his gaze.

Kingsley's expression appeared a mild mix of curiosity and confusion in response to the Lord's agitation. "Lord Flyte? We heard some sort of pursuit… last night… in the corridors of the castle's southern wing. Have you already learned of what has transpired?"

Flyte started fidgeting with his ornate clasp. "Oh yes. That incident as well. I understand that at least one guard was injured near Consul Carvain's office. They say that a cloaked intruder escaped the guards over there."

Focussing upon the first part of what he said, Lafont narrowed her eyes. "That incident? There was another incident?"

Flyte fluttered his eyelids with raised eyebrows. "Another incident? Oh yes, oh yes, most certainly. By the Divines, it took place only a very short distance from where I was sleeping. Yet another unseen intruder… this one managed to gain access to the suite of Countess Menevia during the early hours. That occurred at around the same time as that other incident, or so I'm told."

"The Countess?" Kingsley was the first to ask.

"Oh quite unharmed, as I understand. Though I do expect that she must be suitably shaken by the incident. Her bodyguard was badly injured driving off the intruder. In his absence, I understand that the Royal Guard are watching over her this morning."

Edwyn spoke. "Her bodyguard? The Imperial Battlemage?"

Lord Flyte returned a grave nod. "Yes, a capable man, as I understand. I believe that he is still receiving treatment for his injuries, though I cannot say how he fares. With the skill of the healers and the will of the Divines, one hopes that he should properly recover."

Lafont prompted. "The intruder?"

"Oh yes. That is perhaps something of… something of a source of concern." Looking to Lafont, Flyte continued fidgeting with his clasp. "I now believe that you were very lucky during your own encounter. Though sustaining injuries of his own, the Countess' bodyguard must have managed to seriously injure the intruder in the altercation. Apparently unable to properly maintain cloaking, the alerted guards were able take pursuit and a… and a vampire was killed in the rear of the central section of castle."

Kingsley responded with a loud gasp.

"Vampire." Hans mumbled the word under his breath with an expression of grim satisfaction. His elbow thudded against Dantien's chest armour.

The Breton Guild Fighter returned a look of suppressed anger.

Edwyn noticed the brief interaction between the two. As did Yurma. Kingsley and Lafont remained focussed upon Lord Flyte.

Flyte waved his hand in an effete manner, as though fanning himself. "It's simply terrible that such things could be taking place within the walls of Castle Daggerfall."

Edwyn sounded sceptical. "Were they... were they certain it was a vampire?"

Lord Flyte continued waving his hand. "Well, it is not as though as I saw for myself, but that is what I heard."

Lafont weighed in "If those two things occurred at around the same time on opposite side of the castle…"

Edwyn finished the thought. "Then that means at least two of them."

Kingsley sounded alarmed again. "Two of them? Two vampires in the castle?"

"At least two. Maybe more." Lafont sounded grim.

"Least one of them's dead." Hans thought it worth saying.

Dantien added a counter. "Yes, but there could still be more."

With a deep frown, Edwyn was shaking his head. "I just cannot understand why vampires would be involved… inside Castle Daggerfall."

"Who can say?" Flyte tapped away at the gem of his ornate clasp.

Lafont's expression reflected Edwyn's. "Can't just be about feeding on people. Not in the castle. That makes no sense at all." Her aspect shifted markedly as another thought came to her. "Though… older vampire clans have tried to take over smaller kingdoms before... I think?"

"They have?" Kingsley appeared quite surprised.

"Hundreds of years ago… I think. Don't remember any details." Lafont's face carried her uncertainty over what she was suggesting.

Lord Flyte affected a thoughtful expression. "I believe that something like that occurred during the time of the first Interregnum… in the northern parts of High Rock. Oh… and something else comes to mind. During my grandfather's time… before the Miracle of Peace… there were said to be rumours of such influence behind some of the lesser kingdoms. Before the more orderly consolidation of our lands, of course. However, one cannot reasonably say how much of that held substance and how much was unfounded rumour."

Edwyn tried to think whether any of that rang true. He could only recall some vague mention of something like that in something he'd read when he was much younger. To his mind, it really seemed too far-fetched to be reasonably relevant to current circumstances. "Daggerfall is not some lesser kingdom of old. Even if vampires are involved in all of these troubles, this still does seem more likely to be about disrupting our trade summit… or disrupting friendly relations between the lands of Iliac Bay… or something like that."

Flyte responded with a thoughtful nod. "Yes, perhaps so, but who can say?"

Lafont looked toward the direction of the Grand Hall. "We should probably be making our way to the summit, before we find ourselves late."

Kingsley nodded his agreement. "Yes, we probably should. Perhaps, we'll hear something promising of what is being done to resolve the ongoing threats to our safety."

"Yes, yes. Perhaps we will." Lord Flyte was trying to sound optimistic.

Without speaking his mind, Edwyn wasn't really expecting much in that regard. In fact, he remained rather dubious of whether they'd hear much at all from their official hosts. At least, nothing beyond those continued assurances of how everything possible is already being pursued.

Throughout the entire exchange by the broad entryway, Yurma had been casually watching Sir Dalric to observe his reactions to the conversation. Given that his full-faced helmet remained closed, just like always, he remained difficult to read. His rigid stance hardly shifted at all. However, she did note the subtle movements of his head and shift of gaze. By her estimate, he seemed to be following the comments of each of those present as closely as she was trying to watch him. If only from instinct, she gained the impression that he possibly knew something more than was being said, but there wasn't really anything to support her suspicion. Even so, Yurma remained suspicious of the silent knight.

Without saying anything in the moment, Yurma was silently anticipating some excitable discussions to be heard from the bodyguards waiting in the anteroom outside the summit meeting that morning.

As it was very likely rapidly approaching the hour of ten by then, with some measure of urgency, they all headed off in the proper direction toward Castle Daggerfall's Grand Hall.

~O~


	19. Chapter 19

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 19

Tirdas the 6th of Evening Star 4E71 Afternoon

Edwyn Northwind released an audible sigh of relief as the midday recess break was called. Without actually saying anything, Arnaud Kingsley's expression clearly indicated that he felt much the same. Marie Lafont remained outwardly reserved as she packed up her documents to take with her.

The morning summit meeting in the Grand Hall had begun with some observable measure of rowdy behaviour. When they'd firstly entered the room just before ten, the level of agitated chatter throughout the room was easily quite notable.

Lord Flyte moved off to his own space in the second row as the other three headed for their designated places in the fifth row. After the expected interruptions from serving staff, it had to be well after ten by the time that Consul Carvain called the morning session to order.

Given the mood of the room, the Consul had some difficulty settling the restless disposition of the delegates in attendance. Of course, he had to be perfectly aware of the reasons for it. He'd tried to assure everybody that all the guards had everything in hand, that one culprit had been caught and killed and that ongoing investigations continued to ensure that no further incidents should occur that could result in harm to anyone.

Edwyn thought it somewhat notable that Carvain made no direct mention that the Countess Menevia had been the target of a malicious intrusion. He'd only spoken of an intruder in guest quarters of the castle and that the individual had been successful dispatched. There'd been no voluntary admission that a vampire was involved. That particular detail wasn't even acknowledged until it was shouted out from one of the Daggerfall delegates, who must have learned of it from someone else.

During all of that rising disquiet, Minister Vici rose and came around to stand with Carvain upon the dais. The Minister advised that he'd spoken with the Penitus Oculatus Inspector earlier that morning and that they both agreed that everything observed thus far still pointed to the previous assumption that external agents have been seeking to disrupt the summit. He reiterated that one such agent had already been properly dealt with and that any others found would be similarly dealt with.

Minister Vici's closing words had been delivered with confidence and clarity. "As representatives and citizens of our great Empire, it is our duty to defy external agents seeking to drag us down… and ensure that our trade summit is fully successful… in the interests of perpetuating lasting prosperity for our Imperial Provinces and for each us and our own."

The Minister's words seemed to have some effect upon those hearing them. After that, Carvain returned to take the podium and then again tried to return focus to the matters on the schedule for the day. From the muted whispers that could be periodically heard, it seemed that just a few delegates remained slightly restless. Nonetheless, the business of the morning continued according to the schedule.

As Edwyn was preparing to head off for the midday break, he noted that many of the other delegates seemed to have fallen into two separate categories of behaviour. At least half had immediately rushed for the doors, as had seemingly become most common at the conclusion of summit sessions.

A number of others were still lingering in loose groups, engaged in conversation. He noticed that Lord Flyte was with Countess Menevia, along with two of the Daggerfall delegates and somewhat surprisingly, the Duke of Alcaire was with them as well.

All of that meant that opportunity to depart the Grand Hall without being caught up by the exit came fairly easily. With that circumstance already in mind, Lafont had gestured toward the main doors as soon as the other two appeared ready. Remaining otherwise unspoken, Edwyn, Kingsley and Lafont moved off together headed for the anteroom, where their respective bodyguards would be waiting for them.

Outside the Grand Hall, there were still several of the varied bodyguards waiting out there. A typical number of Royal Guard were also posted at either end of the anteroom. Dantien appeared to be in conversation with two other Bretons, but quickly set that aside as he observed Lafont's approach. With Hans and Yurma also joining their respective charges, they were all soon enough on their way toward their quarters located in the southern wing of the castle. In anticipation of being regularly stopped by guards at various checkpoints along the way, very little of substance was said as they made their way along the corridors.

* * *

After parting company with Kingsley and Hans at their door, then leaving Lafont and Dantien to continue onward, Edwyn and Yurma entered their guest suite. Only a few short moments passed before the meal cart arrived. Edwyn had barely enough time to quickly visit the bathroom, then come back to the door to deal with the castle server delivering the meals.

Once Yurma had checked over the food, they settled into eating. About half way through, Yurma raised the issue of what Edwyn might have learned of the current events from official sources at the summit meeting.

Edwyn finished a mouthful before responding. He paraphrased what he'd heard from both Consul Carvain and Minister Vici at the start of the session.

Yurma shook her head slightly. "So, not telling anyone anything then?"

Taking a sip of his drink, Edwyn shrugged mildly. "Well, no. Not really, I suppose. It was more the case of making some effort to encourage a state of calm. As much as such a thing is possible."

Yurma responded with a huff, then took another bite from her meal.

Finishing another mouthful Edwyn prompted her. "Did the others outside… the other bodyguards have much to say?"

Not quite finishing what she was chewing on, Yurma responded. "Mmyeah… other bodyguards been talking about vampires… mostly."

"It seemed that the Consul wasn't going to even mention that there was a vampire killed in the castle last night. Not until one of the delegates called out about it."

Yurma sneered. "Figures. Probably trying to play it down, but it's too late to keep that fish in the barrel. Hans seemed a bit smug about it… since he kept saying that he thought it was about vampires from the start."

Without voicing his thought, Edwyn shook his head.

Yurma continued. "Word was getting about that the vampire that got chased down and killed was from Altmer stock."

"Altmer?" Edwyn raised his eyebrows.

"So they say. None of them there saw. Only heard it second hand… and there's probably nothing left to see by now."

"Nothing… nothing left to see?"

Yurma nodded, finishing off a bite. "Vampire bodies don't last long. Some turn to dust just about right away. Others take a few hours to fall to bits. And other variations. Either way, wouldn't be much left by now."

With a frown, Edwyn was shaking his head. "Obviously, I don't know too much about vampires, aside from the obvious things you hear. Even so, I still can't see why any vampires would be involved in all of this. It just makes no sense… for each of those reasons we've already gone over."

Yurma took a sip from her mug. "Yeah well, sure wouldn't be poking about the castle cos there was easy pickings. Nobody's saying that. Heard some other ideas going about. There was some talk about vampires maybe being used as assassins or foreign spies."

"Foreign spies?"

"Yeah, from the Aldmeri Dominion."

"Aldmeri Dominion?" Edwyn was shaking his head again.

Yurma guessed at what he might be thinking. "Nobody was saying anything about Dominion Altmer getting turned into vampires on purpose. Summerset High Elves would never go for anything like that… with the Thalmor being all about the purity of Altmer blood and heritage and such. But there might be some vampires on those isles… and maybe Thalmor mages had some way of… I dunno… controlling them somehow."

Edwyn's face expressed his measure of mixed confusion and scepticism.

Yurma sighed. "Ain't saying that's what's going on. Only that it's one of the ideas going about. Might only be just that one vampire as well. Dunno nothing about any others yet."

"Except that the one being chased over on this side of the castle last night was also using cloaking magic."

Yurma shrugged. "Coulda been a bunch of reasons for that… or even coulda been a second vampire. Dunno."

Pausing a moment as he tried to finish the last of his meal, another thought crossed Edwyn's mind. Since the efforts to purge Dominion territories of outsiders, he expected that only two specific Merish races remained within their borders. "You know, I don't think that I recall seeing any Altmer at all in the castle since we've been here… and perhaps only one or two Bosmer servants."

Yurma shrugged again. "Don't see a lot of anyone not Breton in the castle. Maybe just a few Nord or Imperial, or maybe mixed. Not like there ain't a fair few Altmer in Daggerfall, from what others told me. Fair few down in town. Just not so many up in the castle."

"Yes, I suppose." Edwyn wasn't at all sure of what he was thinking or whether it really meant anything at all.

Yurma filled her mug with water again. "In any case, we dunno whether there's more vampires, or foreign spies or assassins or whatever. We just gotta keep doing what we're doing and stay outa trouble."

Edwyn had nothing to say that contradicted or added to that. In relative silence, his mind drifted a little. Though it might have had nothing to do with current concerns, he considered some things beyond those comments of the Thalmor of the old Summerset Isles and their elevated obsession with Altmer purity.

From his experience, not all, but a great many Altmer behaved with a notably ingrained aspect of superiority. However, those High Elves of the Dominion were said to take that behaviour much further. They considered all other races, save their own, as inherently inferior in all ways. It was assumed that they only tolerated the Bosmer of the Valenwood as secondary to their own, so long as they remained obedient to Thalmor rule. Disdain for all others seemingly remained resolute.

Though it wasn't immediately obvious from outward appearance, Edwyn was actually half-Altmer. Taking more after his Nord father, he really looked more Breton. Given the passage of many generations, most Breton's typically retained far less of their diluted Elven heritage and far more of their Nedic bloodline. So in that regard, Edwyn really did appear much like a typical Breton to anyone unaware of his specific lineage.

Even so, he expected that foreign Altmer of the Thalmor would view the details of his heritage rather poorly. He expected that he would be likely viewed as a mongrel half-breed by Altmer of the Aldmeri Dominion and his mother would be held in equal measure of contempt.

Though he was aware of those things, he'd not been directly exposed to much of that sort of thing back in his home city. He'd certainly encountered a few local Altmer about Wayrest who exhibited a notable measure of Altmer superiority. That was possibly more pronounced among those wealthier High Elves of the city and perhaps slightly less so among those of any lesser standing. Nevertheless, even the most arrogant of Altmer he'd ever encountered in Wayrest hardly represented what little he understood of those from the Aldmeri Dominion.

Of course, Edwyn had never actually had any direct dealings with anyone from the Thalmor regime. At least, not as far as he knew. Most of what he understood really only came from anecdotal hearsay and second-hand detail.

Edwyn recalled hearing of that terrible incident in the Hammerfell capital, which occurred only a few decades before. The Thalmor had reportedly despatched assassin mages to purge all the Altmer living in the foreign quarter of Sentinel. As far as he understood it, they were killed to serve as an example. It was said that most of those Altmer living there had fled the Summerset Isles to escape the Aldmeri Dominion in favour of Imperial lifestyle. That was something not so very uncommon, but also something that the ruling Thalmor would not readily tolerate. An Altmer who was never part of the Dominion was one thing, but one choosing to reject the homeland was something altogether different. Altmer traitors attracted even greater enmity than mere foreigners or those that they viewed as belonging to lesser races.

Even though there had not since been another incident of that magnitude, it did serve to rattle those Altmer living among other Imperial citizens. Though his mother had never openly spoken of it, he imagined that she must have held some measure of concern back then.

As her youngest son, Edwyn's measure of his mother was certainly coloured. Even so, Elwyn Northwind was hardly typical of other Altmer he'd encountered during his days. She did not come from nobility or wealth. She'd never even set foot upon the Summerset Isles during her lifetime. She'd originally come from rather humble beginnings, living among the less affluent of Cyrodiil's Imperial City, where she'd firstly met his father, when he served as a sailor working for the Imperial Trading Company.

Even by the time they'd eventually made it Wayrest, after coming via those northern localities of Skyrim, they were hardly wealthy when they started working for other traders in his home city. Even once Northwind Traders firstly became a going concern, they did not climb any higher than perhaps part of the respected middle-class of merchants. Successful enough, but hardly wealthy. After a fashion, Edwyn had become possibly the wealthiest of his family.

Growing up in Wayrest, Edwyn has been exposed to a broad variety of people from each of the races of Tamriel. Granted, Bretons easily made up the greater number of the local populace. At the same time, Imperials and Nords also made up a significant proportion of the city's citizenry. Of course though lesser in number, there were also quite a few Altmer, Bosmer and Dunmer, as well as Redguard. Argonians, Khajiit and Orcs seemed to be notably fewer in number, but not totally absent from the mix.

Though it might be a stretch to claim that everyone in Wayrest lived in perfect harmony or that all races enjoyed unrestricted social equity, things seemed generally peaceful enough in the wealthiest city of High Rock. From his understanding, that somewhat reflected the general state of affairs of the Imperial City in Cyrodiil.

The Imperial model of united Tamriel had been gradually shaped to encourage a blending of societies and cultures under the rule of Emperors of somewhat mixed human heritage. With some measure of periodic turmoil, it had more or less been on that path since the founding of the Septim Empire at the start of the third era. As much as seemed possible, the Mede Empire had sought to continue that legacy into the fourth era.

Coming from that perspective, with regard to both his home and his own blood, Edwyn found it very difficult to imagine the mindset of those living within the borders of the Aldmeri Dominion. In his own mind, the relative spirit of cooperation that was meant to underpin the essence of Imperial Tamriel seemed a better path to the future. Of course, the substance of reality might well fall short of the ideal, but at least the ideal seemed a worthy goal. At least, that's what Edwyn believed.

Yurma's tidying up in preparation to leave the aftermath of their meals outside the guest suite eventually disturbed Edwyn from his wandering thoughts. He gathered himself with the intent of looking at some papers, but soon realised that time was wasting and he'd best look to visiting the bathroom if he expected to get through the afternoon summit session without squirming in his chair. As soon as Yurma returned from attending the same thought, he headed for the bathroom.

Returning to the sitting room area, a knock was heard at the door as Edwyn was still sorting his documents back into his satchel. Of course, he left it to Yurma to answer the call. It was Lafont and Dantien stopping by, just as they'd suggested they would. As soon as they'd locked up from the outside, they all departed, with the intent of stopping by Kingsley's quarters along the way. In the company of Kingsley and Hans, they all headed off together again for the central section of the castle.

* * *

The afternoon session in the Grand Hall passed much as expected. The underlying tension brought about from those recent events within Castle Daggerfall remained as only something of a lingering distraction from the business at hand. Of course, no one was expecting any sort of trouble within the Great Hall and certainly not during the busier parts of the daylight hours. Even so, those ongoing threats had to remain in the back of some people's minds.

Though parts of the business on the afternoon schedule continued to be somewhat tedious, at least some it had directly concerned Edwyn's sphere of interest.

After the first item, but still during the earlier part of the afternoon, there was some brief discussion of the trade travelling up and down the Bjoulsae River. Given that Wayrest sat upon the mouth of that river, much of the merchant trade coming to and from Evermor passed via trade interests in Edwyn's city. To a lesser extent, some of the trade with Dragonstar in the most northern point of Hammerfell also passed through Evermor and along the river. Though the barges and other smaller vessels traversing the Bjoulsae hardly carried nearly as much as the large sea-going vessels coming and going from the major ports of Iliac Bay, it still represented some relatively significant measure of local regional trade.

Those brief discussions didn't really represent any movement or change in the existing circumstances. It was really just an assessment of sorts to serve as framework for the negotiations to follow a little later.

During the latter potion of that discourse, an interruption came in the form of a droning noise from one of the rows ahead of Edwyn's position. It took a moment to tell that the snoring was coming from Andre LeBlanc of Daggerfall's Bankers. In direct response, Consul Carvain paused a moment, then resumed in a much louder voice, causing LeBlanc to splutter and then straighten in his seat. Though the banker may not have been aware that he was snoring, he must have realised that he'd nodded off.

Edwyn might have thought it more likely that someone actually staying in the castle would be more likely to be nodding off after suffering evenings of interrupted sleep. Still, he supposed that even those who lived in Daggerfall might have been losing sleep over concerns of personal safety. No doubt, they felt that their homes were not nearly as well protected as the guest quarters of the castle. Perhaps even a little less so than usual, with the soldiers of the City Watch brought up to the castle and the Legion garrison looking to cover that absence.

The remainder of those discussions managed to pass without the sounds of any loud snoring heard in the room. That latter portion of the session followed the pattern of the previous day. Various delegates broke off into smaller groups, with several headed for those tables at the rear of the hall.

Edwyn was selected to participate in some negotiations pertaining to those earlier discussions of trade moving up and down the Bjoulsae River. Though there were no officials from Evermor present, a few of the delegates represented active business interests involved with that trade route.

It was no surprise to Edwyn that merchant interests in Daggerfall liked to promote steady trade with Evermor. He understood that it was not so much about any great volume or profit. It was really more about maintaining an appearance of interdependency between the capital and that more remote city.

There was also some measure of directed interest from the Redguard capital across the bay. Though transport of some of the trade with Dragonstar travelled overland across northern Hammerfell, Sentinel was equally keen to maintain access to transport up river via Evermor. Again, that was not really so motivated by great trade volume. Sentinel also liked to maintain close ties with certain remote locations. That particular place, perhaps more so.

The tumultuous history of Dragonstar over the past hundred years certainly played some obvious part in that. Parts of that north-eastern territory had been lost to the Nords for a time. For decades after the War of Bend'r-mahk, Dragonstar remained a divided city. In fact, it had really been two cities during that time. That circumstance only became alleviated shortly after the Stormcrown Interregnum. Even after the rise of Emperor Titus Mede in Cyrodiil, certain elements within Dragonstar remained defiant of Hammerfell's rule from Sentinel for a short period.

For the most part, all of that had been since resolved and Dragonstar had remained rather less troublesome over the past few decades. If was fair to presume that Sentinel's King very much wanted things to remain that way. Maintaining some firm influence over the flow of trade to and from that city was evidently viewed as the least burdensome method of keeping Dragonstar on side.

As Edwyn was still in discussion with the Redguard delegates, he casually noticed that Kingsley had finished up early, but chosen to return to his seat in the fifth row and wait, just he'd suggested that he would.

It wasn't really all that long before Edwyn had also finished. Upon returning to sit by Kingsley, they both waited for Lafont to complete the negotiations that she was involved with.

As Kingsley noted, there wasn't much call for his direct involvement as Wayrest's Bankers Guild representative in much of anything that afternoon. Edwyn had perhaps a little more to do with some of those trade negotiations relating to Evermor, but a lot of it would really fall to individual merchants, after the passing of referrals via the Merchant Guild. It seemed that Lafont had even more participation with certain delegates. Presumably, that related to shipping routes and related activities, as specific matters involved the Mariners Guild.

In due course, Lafont completed her involvement in negotiations and then rejoined the other two. Since it wasn't so difficult leave the place without queuing, as soon as they were all ready, they headed off together to collect their respective bodyguards outside and then make their way back over to the southern wing of the castle.

* * *

There wasn't a great deal of meaningful conversation as the group made their way back across Castle Daggerfall. Of course, they needed to stop at each checkpoint and go through the ritual of providing identification at each guarded checkpoint.

In an offhand manner, Kingsley had noted that he was feeling rather hungry. The comment had prompted Hans to make several suggestions of some of the most fulfilling repasts that he understood might be available from the kitchens of the castle. Whether any of it would actually be available remained to be seen.

Dantien had thought to remind his Nord comrade that he still needed to remain on guard over the possibility of finding poisons in things coming from the kitchens, since there had already been two incidents of that nature.

Hans acknowledged the possibility, but thought it less likely to continue once it had become so widely known that such a thing had already been tried and fallen to failure. He scoffed that it seemed unlikely that vampires would be poisoning guests. He further suggested that the kitchen hand killed during the early hours of Morndas was probably the poisoner and probably killed by a vampire.

That conversation was cut short as they arrived at the last checkpoint before reaching their destination. After passing another couple of lone guards in the corridors, brief farewells were exchanged as Hans joined Kingsley in his quarters. A similar exchange passed as Edwyn and Yurma arrived at their own suite and Lafont and Dantien continued onward.

Without passing any comment, Edwyn was quietly hoping for a perfectly uneventful evening. As much of a gilded cage as it might reasonably seem, he was starting to feel as though they were prisoners serving a brief sentence in that castle, and that his guest suite was his well-appointed cell. After almost a week away from his home in Wayrest, he was truly looking forward to returning to the safety of his own home and his wife, Francine.

~O~


	20. Chapter 20

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 20

Tirdas the 6th of Evening Star 4E71 Evening

Leaving other acquaintances behind outside, Edwyn and Yurma entered their guest suite in the southern wing of Castle Daggerfall. Without waiting for Yurma to lock the door, Edwyn rushed off for the bathroom with a certain matter of urgency in mind.

Only shortly afterward, they received a visit from a castle servant seeking to check upon replenishing various amenities and then another one taking orders for evening meals. It was as they were waiting for the delivery of their food, that Yurma raised the question of whether anything notable had occurred within the Grand Hall during the afternoon session of summit meetings. Edwyn's brief summary illustrated that there was little of interest as far as Yurma was concerned. He quickly turned that around to ask of whether she'd gained any fresh insights from the bodyguards outside the summit meetings.

Yurma's shrug seemed somewhat dismissive. "Some stuff, but not a lot."

Edwyn's silent frown prompted her to continue.

"Yeah, some more talk about what's been going on in the castle at night. More talk about vampires and such. Some are saying more trouble is still pretty likely. Others think that after that one getting killed last night, it might be done. Least for now."

Edwyn shook his head. "I cannot say that that I'm feeling at ease. If all those soldiers and guards roaming about the castle hadn't already deterred them, I'm not certain that the demise of that vampire last night would be enough to do it."

Yurma shrugged again. "Maybe. Maybe not. Might end up make 'em either sneakier or either more aggressive. With whatever is s'posed to be planned. In any case…." She waved her hand dismissively.

Edwyn already guessed at what she might say. "You're going to keep doing what you're doing and try to keep us out of trouble."

Yurma suppressed a mild grin. "Pretty much." She shifted her expression as another thought came to her. "Did hear Dantien asking around about that Inspector… Attius. Since he's s'posed to be the one in charge stopping whatever's going on. He's been seen about a few times today, but no one's said nothing about that… that other resource he mentioned the other day."

Edwyn furrowed his brow. "That was… that was Sundas afternoon… when he mentioned that… responding to Kingsley's questions. Perhaps, whoever he's called in is a few days of travel away."

Yurma wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, maybe. Attius has been seen about on his own… or with Royal Guard. In the morning, he was spotted just near the Consul's office. Salvius saw him. Verus's bodyguard. That woman from the East Empire Company. Salvius figured he was investigating the attack that happened near there.

Edwyn's silent nod indicated his agreement.

Yurma continued. "Others mentioned spotting Attius about the northern wing just after midday. S'pose that was probably about what happened over there last night. Though I woulda figured that he'd looked at all that earlier."

Edwyn tilted his head slightly. "I might imagine that he thought there was still something to be looked at. Perhaps, some overlooked clues relating to that vampire that was chased down and killed."

"Yeah, probably..."

Before Yurma said any more, a knock at the door interrupted. Of course, it was only the evening meals being delivered. As Edwyn moved to join her at the door, the usual ritual transpired. Once they'd taken delivery of their food and Yurma had checked it all over, they settled down at the table to eat.

A few moments after he'd starting eating, Edwyn had passed a comment regarding the flavour of the spicy sauce over the roasted venison. He thought it quite good, but wondered if it made it harder to detect poisons. He said as much.

Yurma shrugged as she chewed on the venison. "Mmyeah... not really. Tastes aweright ta me. Ain't poisoned me. Not yet anyways."

Edwyn raised his eyebrows. It wasn't as though he didn't believe her. He just thought that she seemed a bit too casual about it.

Reaching for her water, Yurma, uttered a little snort. "Maybe just a bit spicy, but not too bad… for Breton cooking."

Edwyn shook his head slightly, brushing off the mild slur. After taking a bite of baked potato, he suddenly stopped chewing, widening his eyes. Without either swallowing or spitting it out, he tried to say something. "Ta tot-tayto…"

Yurma shook her head with a little smirk. "Nothing wrong with it. It's some sorta local sweet potato. S'posed to taste like that."

Edwyn reluctantly chewed on what was in his mouth, so that he could actually speak more clearly. "Sweet potato?"

"Maybe you call 'em yams. We grow 'em on the farm. Back in Ripwold. Not exactly the same variety, but similar. Got a real sweet taste. Not bland like regular potatoes."

Pensively sensing the flavour of the vegetable, he accepted what she was saying. It wasn't at all unpleasant. Just not what he was expecting. "You grow these back in Ripwold? Or your family does?"

Yurma finished chewing on another mouthful of food. "Yeah. Like I said, not the exact same, but pretty similar." Shuffling what was on her plate, she looked to finishing it while it was still hot.

Edwyn ate a little more of his meal before pausing again. "Do the farms of Ripwold grow enough of those sweet potatoes to transport to markets?"

Yurma shrugged. "Not really. Could do, I s'pose. Ain't been much call for it. Midpath Hill and Reytry grow their own… or something like."

Edwyn nodded as he continued eating. His thoughts began digestion before the food in his belly, though he was wasn't yet sure what to do with them.

After they'd finished eating and everything was tidied away, Edwyn looked to some of his documents and made some additional notes. Settling on a sofa, Yurma looked to some more recreational reading. It seemed that she'd already finished the books that she'd brought with her and moved on to the handful of tomes that were on the shelf in the guest suite. Edwyn hadn't paid any attention to what was there, but expected only fairly mundane books of the kind typically found in the rooms of inns and taverns. Given that they were in Castle Daggerfall, he wouldn't be surprised to learn that each of those books were merely biographical collections of Daggerfall's previous rulers or the like. Just as likely that there might be historical texts of the former glories of the Empire or another one of those biographies of Emperor Attrebus. Either way, Edwyn made no inquiry of what she was reading.

After one last visit to the bathroom and then eventually heading off to turn in for the evening, Edwyn passed a hopeful comment. "Perhaps, we can look forward to an evening without intruders, attackers, or vampires… or anything of a sort."

From her position on the sofa, Yurma looked briefly to the door. "Yeah, maybe. So far, things ain't happened in the same place twice. Hopefully, it ain't our turn. Even better if it's all over and the ones responsible have moved along. Either way, I'll be sleeping with my axe nearby."

Edwyn tried to find some reassurance in her words as he headed for bed. Without saying anything of it, he was again longing for the safety of his own home and hearth back in Wayrest. Attending the trade summit in Daggerfall had turned out to be far more troublesome that he could have ever anticipated and the added concerns for his personal safety made it all seem to be far more effort than it could possibly be worth.

As he was trying to get to sleep, Edwyn gave some consideration to what things he might tell Francine when he made it home and what things he thought might be better to keep from her.

* * *

Yurma gra-Sharma struggled to open her eyes. Without any certainty of the exact hour, since she'd already woken briefly a few times, she guessed that it had to be some time approaching the dawn. Perhaps no more than two hours before. Without obvious reason, she found that she was feeling excessively groggy. Even with very little sleep, she normally found it fairly easy to wake and come to a semblance of alert. She was already growing alarmed as she realised that her limbs felt far too heavy to lift and she found herself unable to get up. However, her growing sense of alarm seemed to be having no affect at all upon her ability to overcome the inexplicable effects weighing her down.

Although she couldn't yet quite manage to turn her head, Yurma became aware of a sensation alerting her that there was someone else in the room remaining beyond her direct view. From her position on that sofa, she could only see the oil lamp burning low near the closed timber door and some portion of the sitting room area. With no certainty of exactly what had alerted her to the presence of someone else, she felt convinced that it was something behind her and beyond her direct field of view.

She found that she seemed to be able to move her eyes, but nothing else. Though it might have seemed much longer to Yurma, only a very short moment passed by as she tried to draw upon all her determination. Focussing her will, she finally managed to move her head just enough that she could see what was in the periphery behind her.

By the dim light of the single oil lamp, she could make two shadowed figures standing relatively motionless in silence. The one standing nearer to her position seemed of relatively average stature. Beyond the certainty that it was not Edwyn standing there, she couldn't easily make out any more.

The other figure stood much taller and seemed of slender build. That one was standing furthest from her and much nearer to where Edwyn was sleeping. Given that a vampire said to be of Altmer stock had been put down in the castle the previous evening, her already heightened sense of alarm was rapidly rising.

Yurma could feel that the handle of her axe was still at her side on the sofa. She didn't actually feel numb. She'd already noticed that she could feel the parts of her body, but seemingly remained unable to actually move anything in any meaningful fashion. It had required an extraordinary effort just to shift her head slightly. She felt as though she was trapped up to her neck in a bog, with no way of finding any purchase to pull herself free.

Again gathering all her willpower, Yurma focussed upon the intent of taking hold of her axe and rising from the sofa. Struggling against the unseen force holding her firmly in place, the effort produced no result. A muted grunt escaped her lips.

"The Orc." The figure nearer to Yurma spoke in harsh whisper. It was a male voice, possibly an Imperial accent.

"I am aware." Speaking softly, the other responded in calm tone, sounding perhaps slightly distracted. His accent or possible mix of accents sounded unfamiliar.

The closer figure uttered a tutting noise, taking half a step toward her, but remaining mostly in shadow. His face remained obscured by darkness.

The tall one spoke again. "Another moment… to be certain."

Though it seemingly still produced no useful result, Yurma struggled again, making another muted grunting noise.

The Imperial man nearer to her position stepped forward out of the shadow, revealing himself. "It's Inspector Attius. There's no immediate threat to your charge or yourself."

Though still unable to move, or easily speak, Yurma glared back at him.

Attius kept his tone hushed. "It's an essential part of my investigations."

An incoherent murmur from behind caused Attius to turn his head toward where the other figure stood. It sounded like Edwyn was stirring from his sleep.

Without speaking, Attius waved his hand in some sort of signal.

The taller shadow spoke again. "This one is also unaffected… uninvolved… and I believe… perfectly suited."

Attius nodded. "Understood… though I wasn't anticipating that we'd be doing this right now."

The taller figure sounded slightly weary. "Unfortunately, the workload of the evening has left me somewhat fatigued. What is done is done. I suggest that you adjust your expectation and proceed."

Attius returned his gaze to Yurma, affecting a questioning expression.

The taller individual standing near to Edwyn spoke again. "Provided that the Orcish woman remains calm, I will release her."

The Inspector addressed Yurma directly. "With apologies, I'd recommend that you do not consider raising your weapon. All will be explained."

Yurma firstly remained unable to articulate a response. She then felt as though a great weight was being lifted from her. Movement returned to her jaws, then everything else followed. With a sensation of lingering stiffness in her limbs and general lethargy, she tentatively started to rise to a seated position. She considered taking hold of her axe, but chose to avoid the provocation that might likely arise from that.

"Wha…wha… wha?" The confused noises from Edwyn drew attention.

Looking to Yurma, Attius gestured toward Edwyn's direction. "You should join us."

"Who's there?" Edwyn's tone clearly telegraphed his fear and panic.

The Inspector called out. "He's with me. Inspector Attius. Your bodyguard is here with me also."

The tall stranger in shadow raised a hand in gesture and the oil lamps along the wall flared to life, illuminating the rear area of the guest suite. It then became perfectly clear that the taller male was indeed an Altmer, as Yurma had already surmised. He was wearing a dark cloak with the hood pulled back. A mane of long white hair presented as stark contrast to the cloak. Apart from his great height, his slightly gaunt facial features and pointed ears revealed a fairly typical High Elf. Yurma was partly expecting to see a vampire, but he didn't look like any vampire she'd encountered before. Since he was with Attius, she cautiously accepted that he couldn't have anything to do with the attacks in the castle.

"Why can't I… why can't I move… or get up?" Edwyn sounded far from convinced that he was in no immediate danger. The look of that strange Altmer hardly seemed anything like the friendly face of his mother. Though seemingly trying not to appear threatening, he certainly seemed dangerous.

The tall Altmer responded in a neutral manner. "I have not yet fully released you. It would not do for you to harm yourself."

As soon as Attius and Yurma entered Edwyn's field of view, he felt a strange sensation wash over him, then his arms and legs began to obey his intent. He shuffled into a sitting position, pulling up the covers about him like a protective shield.

Edwyn looked to the motionless Altmer with sustained concern, mixed with more than a little fear. "Who?"

"Darkwater." The stranger responded blandly.

Attius expanded a little further. "Agent Darkwater assists the Penitus Oculatus… in certain matters."

Keeping a close eye upon the Altmer, Yurma silently nodded. It appeared obvious enough to her that he had to be the additional resource that Attius mentioned the other day.

"You're certain of both of them?" Attius' query was evidently directed toward his towering associate.

"As I stated… unaffected… uninvolved… and suited to your intent."

His gaze flickering between each of the other three, trying to contain his fear, Edwyn still sounded nervous. "Suited to… to what? What is this about?"

Attius spoke again. "We needed to be completely certain that both of you were not involved in any way."

Edwyn blinked his eyes. "Involved?

Attius responded. "Not involved in the… in the attacks and other activities."

"Why would I even be a suspect? Either of us?"

Attius maintained even tone. "You were not an obvious suspect. However, given that several of your associates and acquaintances had suffered attacks, and that both yourself and your bodyguard remained untouched… well that seemed possibly suspicious. Perhaps, too obviously so to be credibly suspicious."

Edwyn shook his head. "It… it looked suspicious that we… that we hadn't been attacked?"

Attius appeared unmoved. "I only required credible confirmation of what I already believed. I would have been more surprised to learn otherwise." He glanced just briefly to his associate.

Edwyn looked to the Altmer. "You… how? Are you a mage of some sort?"

"Of some sort." Darkwater inclined his head slightly.

Attius explained a little. "Agent Darkwater is possessed of… special skills. Skills suited to determining the truth of things. Especially, in matters of this nature."

The Altmer raised an eyebrow. "The Northwind name. I had not made the connection at first. I had dealings with his sister some years ago."

"My sister?"

"Yes. The one with the Fighters Guild. It was some time ago now, I suppose." The Altmer glanced to Attius. "I encountered another of her associates only weeks ago. In the far north. I find it somewhat unusual that I should encounter another connected individual in such short order, across such vast distances. Even this Orcish woman is connected to the Northwind woman, through her uncle. Unless your Divines are trying to tell me something, or perhaps more likely that Daedric Princes are toying with me, it seems odd coincidence."

Attius affected a slight frown.

Darkwater straightened his posture slightly. "Forgive me. I am feeling somewhat fatigued… from the task at hand… and perhaps, becoming somewhat prone to distraction. Otherwise, neither of these two would have wakened before we were done and on our way."

Attius nodded subtly. "As you said, what's done is done."

Yurma spoke up. "What's done?"

Inspector Attius released a little sigh. "We hadn't intended to disturb you just at this point. Merely confirm that neither of you were directly compromised."

"And now you're certain of that?" Yurma sounded annoyed.

Darkwater answered. "Yes, we are certain of that."

Attius resumed. "Since you've become prematurely aware of certain matters, I would ask for something… in the interest of cooperation and assistance."

Yurma spoke in wary tone. "What kind of assistance?"

Only briefly glancing to Yurma, the Inspector shifted his gaze to Edwyn. "Nothing dangerous. There's nothing at all for you to do, but Northwind has the ear of Lord Flyte… and I'd like certain things to reach his ears."

Edwyn looked surprised. "Lord Flyte? You believe he's somehow involved?"

Attius maintained a neutral expression. "Somehow involved. Whether directly, indirectly… or being used by another."

Edwyn was shaking his head. "I find it… I find it extraordinarily difficult to believe that Lord Flyte… He was poisoned on the night before the summit."

Attius remained unmoved. "Yes, I'm perfectly aware. It's also perfectly clear that Lord Flyte makes it his business to remain fully aware of what everyone else knows of… and seemingly passes on much of that detail to others in the form of gossip… or the like."

Edwyn opened and closed his mouth a few times without actually speaking. What he was hearing sounded exactly right. Flyte even told him as much.

Attius continued. "I want you to let Lord Flyte know that I've questioned you over certain matters. I have asked you about members of your Merchants Guild in Wayrest and possible dealings with suspected dissidents in Camlorn."

"I don't understand. I don't know anything about any of that."

"You should tell him precisely that."

Edwyn again opened his mouth without actually speaking.

The Inspector continued. "You should also mention I have asked you of any knowledge of disreputable merchants representing Camlorn nobles or vampire clans operating in the vicinity of Camlorn or rumours of plots to undermine the rule of that city, or even the rule of Daggerfall."

Edwyn shook his head in dismay. "I don't understand any of this."

"You don't need to. In fact, it's better that you do not. Only that you make mention of the matters I've raised with you."

Inspector Attius went on repeat each of the things he wanted Edwyn to mention once again. That second time, he framed each thing as directed questions, seemingly in order to reinforce that framework of phrasing in Edwyn's mind.

Though appearing somewhat bewildered, it seemed that Edwyn understood enough to recall the broad detail.

The Inspector made a further point. "Additionally, you should avoid making any mention of any of it in the company of Sir Dalric. Best that you wait until you are in the Grand Hall to speak to Lord Flyte."

Yurma interjected. "So, Dalric is involved in something?"

Darkwater responded. "I am certain that the Knight is compromised. However, his master's involvement remains… undetermined."

Attius looked to Edwyn. "None of that should be your concern at this time."

Edwyn still appeared notably less than reassured. "But… but what about… what about those… attackers… or vampires?"

The Inspector's expression conveyed certainty. "Agent Darkwater has that matter well in hand. You can rest assured that it will be completely contained. He's… uniquely suited to dealing with matters of that nature."

Edwyn again looked to the tall Altmer with a confused expression. Darkwater remained unmoved. Yurma had been observing the Agent with suspicion the whole time. Aside from being an Altmer mage of some sort, she remained certain that there was something else about him that felt wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Addressing Edwyn, Attius spoke again. "Your task is a simple one. Find a moment to speak with Lord Flyte in the Grand Hall. Undoubtedly, he will prompt you for something in conversation. When he does so, make mention of the things I've questioned of you. You should have no difficulty expressing your confusion and ignorance over any knowledge of those matters. Leaving it at that, should be simple enough."

"I understand." Edwyn shook his head as he spoke.

Attius made a further point. "Another thing. Of course, you should make no mention of Agent Darkwater. So far, he's remained unseen within the castle and it should stay that way."

Edwyn nodded nervously. "Yes, yes. I understand."

The Inspector looked to Yurma. "You need only continue to protect your charge in the manner you've already been doing. Nothing else. The threat from intruders should be likely diminished from this point forward. Soon enough, it should be completely passed. Even so, remain on guard, just as before."

"I intend to." Yurma maintained a reserved expression.

A weary expression washed over Attius, then he adjusted his posture, evidently struggling with the effects of fatigue. "We'd best be on our way. We need to attend another couple of tasks before the dawn." He glanced to the Altmer just briefly, then returned his gaze to Yurma. "Lock the door again after we're gone."

Yurma returned a silent nod.

Edwyn opened his mouth momentarily, then appeared to decide that he had nothing to say and closed it again. He still hadn't moved from his bed and he'd been holding up the covers below his neck the whole time.

Inspector Attius and Agent Darkwater made their way for the door. Yurma followed a few steps behind. Edwyn remained in place as they moved beyond his clear view.

Pausing a moment near the door, the Altmer pulled up his hood, then stood still. A shimmering effect appeared to wash over him. Then he quickly faded from view, as cloaking magic seemed to render him invisible to the eye.

Attius nodded, then opened the door to leave, moving slowly enough that the unseen Altmer could pass before the door was closed. Yurma didn't seem so surprised by any of it. As soon as the door was firmly closed, she made certain that it was properly locked once again.

~O~


	21. Chapter 21

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 21

Middas the 7th of Evening Star 4E71 Morning

After Inspector Attius and Agent Darkwater departed the guest suite and Yurma had locked the door behind them, she returned to where Edwyn was still sitting upright in the bed, with the covers pulled up about him.

Only a very brief discussion passed. Enough for Edwyn to understand how Yurma had been just as taken by surprise as he'd been. Also how she'd been just as helpless until only a moment before he'd awoken.

Edwyn continued to appear openly bewildered in the aftermath of the unexpected intrusion and hearing what Attius wanted of him. By contrast, Yurma seemed to take it all in stride. That was perhaps mostly for Edwyn's benefit. She reminded him that Attius suggested that the threat was mostly over, but she would be keeping her guard up just the same as before.

Since he was awake, Edwyn got up to dash off to the bathroom to attend to call of nature. Upon his return, Yurma firmly suggested that he try to get more rest, advising that he didn't need to be up for another couple of hours. He reluctantly agreed, feeling too weary to argue otherwise.

Returning to the bed, Edwyn was not expecting any proper slumber. In fact, he wasn't really expecting that he'd be able to sleep at all. Even so, he dozed in and out of light and troubled sleep.

Eventually, Edwyn's sporadic rest was interrupted as Yurma was returning from a visit to the bathroom. She raised her voice to advise him it was likely time to rise.

Edwyn sluggishly clambered from the bed and headed for the bathroom again. After attending to immediate concerns, he looked to washing and shaving. He hoped those early morning rituals would serve to dispel his lingering weariness.

After dressing in his clothing for the day, Edwyn joined Yurma out in the sitting room area. Though he felt a little better after cleaning up, his expression still betrayed something of the weariness he felt from the early morning interruption to his sleep. Yurma seemingly appeared no different from any other morning. She remained upon the sofa with a book as he passed by. Only non-verbal nods were exchanged.

As Edwyn filled a glass of water, Yurma set aside her book and again looked to him with mild concern. "You alright?"

Edwyn returned a subtle nod. "Well enough." He drank down half the glass in one breath, then looked to the heavy timber door with suspicion. "I don't quite understand how they got in here last night."

Yurma's expression conveyed that she thought the comment to be naive. "Don't think Attius had a key… so, with magic, obviously."

Edwyn frowned. "I wasn't talking about the lock. Though I don't how that might work, I supposed that it must have been something like that. What I mean is… how they managed to get in here… unseen and unheard. Then, managing to get past you… and then… everything else."

Yurma shrugged. "All of it woulda been magic… of some sort."

Edwyn shook his head. "Not any sort, I've seen before."

"Not exactly any sort I've seen either, but same sorta things. Sorta."

Edwyn's confused expression prompted Yurma to continue. "Yeah well, seemed like maybe some sorta sleep magic… or maybe just some sorta muffling spells were used to make it so we couldn't even hear 'em coming in here. And then maybe a sleeping spell as well. But whatever magic was holding us down. That's not like anything I've felt before."

Edwyn shook his head again. "I've not had anything to do with much more than temple healers and such. Or perhaps, setting off a frosting scroll over goods in the cellar."

Yurma stared blankly at the handle of her axe. "Whatever was holding us down… it seemed like paralysis magic of some sort, but not like I've felt before. Some kinds just hit you rigid… make it real hard to breathe and you fall over… maybe hurting yourself. Other kinds… you just lose all feeling and control and fall in a flopping heap."

"I wouldn't know." Edwyn finished the glass of water he'd been holding.

The furrow of Yurma's brow increased. "Whatever that Altmer was doing… it felt like I was… I dunno… clamped in place. And then there's the other thing. Seems like he was… I dunno… maybe pulling things outa our heads. While we were sleeping."

Edwyn appeared sceptical. "I didn't feel anything."

"Me neither. But from what they were saying…"

The conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Edwyn stepped back a little as Yurma unlocked the door. Though it seemed possibly earlier than expected, it was the cart with the morning meals. Edwyn noticed that the servant was again being escorted by a guard, just like on the previous morning.

Securing something suitable for morning meals, casual inquiry revealed that it was actually a little later than Edwyn thought. He learned that it was likely after a quarter past the hour of eight.

With sweetbreads and tea in hand, the door was locked again. Once Yurma had checked over the food, they started eating. Edwyn found that his appetite didn't really match up with the hollow feeling in his belly, but he forced himself to eat anyway. Whether Yurma felt the same or otherwise remained unspoken, but she certainly seemed distracted with certain thoughts.

Yurma suddenly noticed that Edwyn was watching her with a curious expression, as though waiting for her to reveal some great insight. She finished chewing on a mouthful of sweetbread. "Something about that Agent… Darkwater… something… dunno what."

Edwyn swallowed a sip of tea. "Well, he was an Altmer… and a mage of some sort… or so he said. And of course, he's with the Penitus Oculatus."

Yurma shook her head. "I get all that. Seemed like something else as well… but I couldn't pick it."

Edwyn shook his head a little as he chewed. "The only Altmer mage I've met before is a healer over at the temple, back in Wayrest. He's typically full of his own sense of importance and such. Nothing at all like my mother."

Without saying anything, Yurma returned an odd look, as though she wasn't quite following what he was getting at.

Edwyn frowned. "He did also speak with a strange accent."

"Yeah. Couldn't pick where he's from. Ain't about that… I don't think."

Edwyn affected a pensive expression. "My sister, Monika… she developed a bit of an odd accent. She was about nine by the time my family came to Wayrest. She never completely lost those little bits of Skyrim accents she'd picked up. Then after living years over in Cyrodiil… well, she doesn't quite sound like someone from Wayrest."

"Your sister… that Altmer said he knew her… or something like that."

Edwyn shook his head, swallowing a sip of tea. "She'd not mentioned anyone like that. Not that I recall. Not in her letters… but then, she rarely mentioned much of anything to do with her days with the Fighters Guild. Except for her husband, of course. Oh, and your uncle."

Yurma shrugged and wrinkled her nose. "S'pose she probably wouldn't have. Not if it had anything to do with Penitus Oculatus."

"I've not really needed to have any direct dealings with them before. Not before all of this."

"You said that before." Yurma had already finished her sweetbread and was making short work of her tea.

"Yes, I suppose I have. And you?"

Yurma shrugged. "Only a couple of times. Wickfield usually has more to do with spectres… as head of the Wayrest Guild."

Edwyn nodded as he tried to finish his food.

Yurma shifted the topic back toward Edwyn. "You just need to do what Attius wants."

Edwyn shook his head again. "Those things… they make no sense. I've certainly heard nothing about any plots… or vampires from Camlorn… or any of it."

"I'd say it's all a feint."

"A feint?"

"A trick of some sort. They probably figured out what it's really all about… or parts of it… and it's not that. I'd say he wants false information to get out. Make them think he's looking in the wrong direction… for some reason."

Edwyn frowned over his mug of tea. "I couldn't really say anything about Sir Dalric…"

Yurma cut him off. "Forget about Dalric. You just ignore him and he'll ignore you… just like usual. If you ain't doing anything out of the ordinary, ain't likely to see anything out of the ordinary."

Edwyn still appeared ill at ease. "Sir Dalric aside… I still find it difficult to believe that Lord Flyte is directly involved in what's been going on about the castle."

"Like Attius said… he might not even be a willing player in what's going… or he might be… dunno. You should just go do what's expected… and leave things to play out. You get to talk to Flyte in the Grand Hall, he'll wind up trying to get something out of you. When he asks, and only when he asks, you just tell him about the things the Attius made into questions. Just don't give it up too easy… and try to act just like normal."

Without speaking, Edwyn returned an awkward nod. Looking somewhat uncomfortable with his thoughts, he finished the remainder of his meal in relative silence.

* * *

It wasn't really so long before Marie Lafont turned up at the door to the suite with her bodyguard. As Yurma had already suggested beforehand, Edwyn avoided the urge to mention anything of the early hours visit from Attius. Yurma also had no intention of discussing anything of it with either Dantien or Hans. Though it seemed fair to expect that they had also been visited during the hours of darkness, they had most likely slept through the encounter. At least, that what Yurma thought likely.

After waiting just a moment for Edwyn to finish readying himself, Yurma was locking the door behind them and then they were all headed down the hall for Kingsley's quarters.

Upon their arrival, Arnaud Kingsley wasn't quite ready to depart. He invited everyone to step inside for a few moments. They needed to wait as he hurriedly finished packing away his documents, then rushed off to quickly visit the bathroom.

Though Hans passed no comment at all, the big Nord's expression clearly conveyed his diminished patience for Kingsley's dithering.

Even so, the delay caused by Kingsley running late was only very minor and they were still fairly early. Soon enough, they were headed off again across the castle toward their destination.

Aside from both Lafont and Kingsley agreeing that it was good to have had an evening pass without incident, and Edwyn's offer of more distracted agreement, little of substance was said as they walked.

The halls and corridors presented much the same as the previous morning. A few lone guards were posted here and there, merely observing their passage and finding no cause for suspicion. Two to four guards were posted at each of the checkpoints where identification papers were requested. That minor inconvenience had already come to seem a routine matter.

Arriving at the anteroom outside the Grand Hall, it was obvious enough that several of the bodyguards were already there. It was also obvious that Sir Dalric was not standing there among them. That seemed to mean that Lord Flyte had not yet arrived, unless there was another reason for it.

Yurma, Dantien and Hans found places to sit as their respective charges negotiated passage at the doors to the Grand Hall.

Upon entering the Grand Hall, Edwyn quickly looked about to see who was already in there. It looked like most of the delegates were inside. However, he soon silently confirmed that Lord Flyte was nowhere to be seen.

As a staff attendant arrived to direct them to their usual seating, Edwyn continued looking about the room. He noted that were still a few empty positions to be seen. Some delegates had taken to their seats. Some were still standing and speaking with others.

Edwyn silently accepted that they had made it to the Grand Hall just a little earlier than usual, but not terribly so, by his estimate.

As they headed for their seating, Kingsley passed a comment directed toward Lafont, but Edwyn didn't actually take notice of what it was about. Almost as soon as they'd taken to their seats, attendants shuffled past, leaving drinking water and papers in their wake.

Before Edwyn had time to peruse the schedule document, another attendant came by, taking orders for midday meals. As Kingsley was making his selection, the guarded doors opened and Andre LeBlanc entered, in the company of one of the other Daggerfall delegates.

Edwyn placed an order for his midday meals and the staff member then moved onto Marie Lafont. The doors opened again and the Rihad delegate came through. Edwyn hadn't actually realised that he wasn't already there with other Redguard delegates.

Though he wasn't exactly certain of the time, Edwyn was beginning to think he wouldn't have an opportunity to speak with Lord Flyte until some time later in the day. Since Flyte was generally a fairly early arrival on most days, he was wondering whether something might have transpired which caused him unexpected delay, or perhaps something even worse than just a delay.

Kingsley grumbled about something he was reading on the daily schedule. Edwyn hadn't noticed whether it was something he was expected to respond to. Just then, the main doors parted once again and Edwyn observed the Lord of Anticlere stepping into the Grand Hall. After speaking with the enthusiastic attendant who had intercept him, Flyte paused just a moment, looking about at who was else was already present inside, then evidently decided to make his way directly for where Edwyn was seated in the fifth row back from the front.

Edwyn tried not to outwardly betray the discomfort that he was experiencing on the inside. He understood that he needed to remain perfectly natural and find a way of mentioning what he needed to say in a casual fashion. However, he found that the way that the Lord had decided to pointedly dart in his direction didn't lead him to feel at all casual.

Nearing the position of Kingsley, Edwyn and Lafont, Lord Flyte affect a somewhat forced smile and polite greetings were exchanged.

After pleasantly greeting Flyte, Kingsley added another thing. "Well, if nothing else, it seems that we might have managed to get through an evening without any threatening incidents in the castle."

Fluttering his eyelids, Lord Flyte waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "There was at least one incident, as far as I know."

"Really?" Kingsley indicated his mild surprise.

Appearing distracted, Flyte responded. "I'd heard that there was a minor commotion in the main kitchens this morning. The staff seemed convinced that there were ghosts in there, but of course, the guards found nothing during their attendance."

Kingsley returned a polite nod of acknowledgment. He didn't immediately dismiss the notion that there might actually be ghosts in the castle's kitchens. At the same time, the thought of invisible vampires also crossed his mind easily enough, but he remained silent over that thought.

Shaking his head slightly, Lord Flyte resumed. "That Inspector fellow interrupted my morning walk outside… upsetting my routine. Most inconvenient… and in my view, terribly impolite."

"Did he?" Edwyn sounded surprised.

Kingsley chimed in. "Inconvenient, I'm sure… but surely a necessary inconvenience."

Flyte continued. "Yes, yes, one might think so, I suppose. An inconvenience, nonetheless. Added to that, the man was appearing notably dishevelled and in need of proper rest." He lowered his voice slightly "In any case, that Inspector fellow was again asking questions over the behaviour of Countess Menevia and the Duke of Alcaire."

Kingsley glanced toward the places where those two usually sat. "There's been no unusual trouble between them here… has there?"

Flyte shook his head, his voice returned to normal volume. "Oh no. No, not at all. In fact, I'd say that everything has been most civil, in all regards. I said as much."

Lafont had been paying attention to the exchange, but remained quiet, seemingly having nothing to add.

Lord Flyte lowered his voice again, leaning in closer. "There was something else that Inspector fellow spoke of. Something that I feel that might concern each of you."

"Really?" Kingsley's voice carried a tone of mixed concern and curiosity.

Without speaking, Lafont indicated her attention. Edwyn also indicated his interest, internally struggling with trying to maintain the appearance of his usual outward demeanour.

Looking briefly to each of the other three in turn, Flyte kept his voice low as he continued. "Well then, that Inspector… he also asked of dealings with merchants representing the lesser nobles of Camlorn, or of any other unusual dealings. Whether via business interests in Wayrest or directly connected to my family's shipping interests." He paused just briefly. "Without saying precisely what he meant, he seemed to be suggesting that his investigations have insinuated trouble among the nobles of Camlorn… those outside the Royal Court… and some possible connection to unspecified merchant interests in Wayrest."

Kingsley commented. "That sounds extraordinary."

"Attius questioned me also." Edwyn tried not to sound out of place with his admission.

"Really?" Kingsley expressed his surprise.

"I wasn't sure whether to say anything… or not."

Both Lafont and Lord Flyte appeared quietly attentive.

"It was early this morning. He spoke of much the same things." Keeping his voice low, Edwyn went on to relate the things that Attius had spoken of during the early hours. The parts pertaining to Wayrest merchants and possible dissidents in Camlorn directly reflected what Lord Flyte had just been saying. The other parts about vampire clans around Camlorn, or possible plots to undermine the rule of Camlorn or Daggerfall raised eyebrows.

Tapping the ornate clasp affixed to his coat, Lord Flyte fluttered his eyelids. "In my view, I do think that each of those things seem to be most fanciful."

Edwyn nodded. "That's more or less what I thought."

Kingsley appeared bewildered. "I've not heard of anything of the like. Certainly not around Wayrest… and in any case, my associates hardly have any direct dealings with Camlorn."

Lafont silently shook her head. Her expression conveyed a similar opinion.

Edwyn spoke again. "That's more or less what I told Attius. I've not heard of anything vaguely like what he was suggesting."

Lord Flyte shook his head. "I cannot say that I hold knowledge of every minor detail of my family's shipping interests, but to my mind, it all seems terribly preposterous."

Responding to Flyte, Lafont shook her head. "It's not uncommon to hear of someone trying to transport contraband… hidden in other shipments… but the rest of that…" She shook her head again.

Edwyn also shook his head. "As I said, I'd heard nothing like the rest of what he asked me about until earlier this morning… and I certainly know nothing about vampires of any kind… and I'd very much be perfectly happy to keep it that way."

Kingsley nodded. "Yes, I can certainly agree with that. Though I'd not be surprised to learn that there were some vampires lurking about Wayrest… somewhere. Still, I've not before had the displeasure and I'd also like to keep it that way."

Lafont chimed in. "You can be sure there'd be some there. Just like any big city. But they probably know well enough to keep out of sight and out of mind. Mostly, anyway."

Kingsley tentatively nodded again. "Still, it sounds as though Attius believes the vampires threatening people here in the castle are part of some secretive plot from Camlorn."

Edwyn started with a shake of his head, which changed into a nod, then finished with another shake. "That's the only sense I could get out of it as well… and even that makes little sense to me."

Fidgeting with his clasp and shaking his head again, Lord Flyte suddenly noticed activity at the front of the room. "Oh, it seems that Consul Carvain and Minister Vici have decided that it's time for the day's proceedings to commence. I suppose that I'd best be making my way for my proper place."

Gestures of acknowledgment were exchanged as the Lord of Anticlere took his leave and headed directly for the second row, where he was normally seated.

Once Flyte was gone, Edwyn heard Kingsley mumbling to himself. The only word he caught was 'ridiculous'. Though Kingsley was looking to his papers, Edwyn presumed that he was still referring to the things he'd just heard.

Presumably, Lafont also heard Kingsley. She released a huffy sigh. "I was hoping we might make it through to the end of this summit without any more trouble."

Edwyn responded with a sigh of his own. "I'm still hoping for that."

Waving his hands in an effort to quell the muted din of persistent conversations going on about the room, Consul Carvain appeared annoyed. Though he held no influence over others beyond his immediate space, Edwyn fell silent and tried to project the appearance of paying attention to the Consul's call to order.

Though he knew that he really should have been paying proper attention to the proceedings, Edwyn couldn't help but be distracted by his own thoughts. He still found it difficult to believe that Lord Flyte could be involved in all the troubles about Castle Daggerfall over the past few days. In truth, he accepted that he didn't really know Flyte that well. After all, he'd only met him just a few days before. Even so, he truly hoped that Attius was wrong about him, or that Lord Flyte's involvement was really no more than being an unwitting pawn in whatever nefarious plots that were afoot.

Whichever the case, Edwyn had to concede that it was all well outside of his influence. He also accepted that he might never learn exactly what it was all about with any perfect clarity. Though he'd reluctantly played the part that Attius wanted of him, he certainly didn't want to find himself dragged any further into any of it.

~O~


	22. Chapter 22

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 22

Middas the 7th of Evening Star 4E71 Afternoon

By Edwyn's estimate, the morning session in the Grand Hall really seemed to drag on for much longer than the time that actually passed. In truth, it could have been no later than a quarter past the hour of noon as the midday recess was called. However to Edwyn's weary mind, the hours before that time seemed to stretch out to feel like far longer.

The first half of the morning seemed the longest. Instead of paying proper attention to the matters at hand, Edwyn persisted in plaguing himself with distracted thoughts. That brief conversation with Lord Flyte continued to return to his mind. He repeatedly questioned his own resolve over having delivered Attius' strange messages about suspected plots and vampire clans of the Camlorn region. He even wondered whether he should have cooperated at all with delivering those messages. Still, after having done so, he further wondered whether he'd managed to pass on those details in a convincing manner or whether he'd just succeeded in making himself just another target for suspicion from the wrong sort of individuals.

Edwyn still remained unconvinced that Lord Flyte was a master conspirator, mobilising assassins and vampires to seed havoc and confound or eliminate certain individuals as part of some disruptive machination. At the same time, he could hardly be certain that the Lord of Anticlere was not at all involved in any of what had previously transpired. Especially, if his bodyguard actually was playing some part in a conspiracy, as he'd been told.

After having related those things directly to Lord Flyte, Edwyn worried that he might find himself becoming the next target of a directed attack of some description. Though he certainly found the silent Sir Dalric intimidating, and even more so since Darkwater suggested that he was directly involved in things, Edwyn accepted the logic that the brooding knight probably was unlikely to come after him in a direct fashion. Even so, he thought that something more indirect remained a possibility.

Edwyn tried to talk some further sense into himself over what he'd done in speaking with Lord Flyte that morning. Really, what he'd said should have only served to confirm what Attius had already planted in Lord Flyte's mind shortly beforehand, only adding just a few additional details. So in that regard, he reminded himself that he could not be at all viewed as the primary source of those things. Added to that, Lord Flyte had already started to spread that information. Both Kingsley and Lafont had also already heard it from him. Edwyn imagined that by the end of the day, nearly everyone in the castle would have heard some version.

Later in the morning session, Edwyn's attention was brought to sharper focus by the matter that he'd previously tendered for consideration at the summit. Of course, that was the issue of the trade with civilised Orcish settlements of the Orsinium Protectorate region.

As it passed, the discussion was fairly brief but potentially volatile. Almost as soon as Carvain finished outlining the framework for the discussion, certain influential voices were raised, insisting upon being heard.

The Duke of Alcaire was quick to stand and seek address. He wanted to be sure that everyone present was across the current limitations placed upon the volume of the trade of orichalcum ore and processed metal ingots coming out of the region of Wayrest's Orsinium Protectorate as dictated by the trade embargo imposed by Daggerfall.

Perhaps recognising that the Duke of Alcaire's motivations were somewhat coloured by standing agreements permitting the mining operations of his Duchy to hold rights over certain territories encroaching upon parts of the Orsinium Protectorate and the southern reaches of the Wrothgarian Mountains, the Countess Menevia offered some additional clarity. She pointed out that by current rulings, only the Orcish smiths located in Wayrest were actually permitted to forge Orcish weapons, armour and shields and that there were strict limits placed upon how much could be sold or exported. She further pointed out that the materials for that commonly came from the mines under Alcaire's jurisdiction.

The Duke of Alcaire seemed eager to make a rebuttal, but the focus was firstly ceded to Sentinel's Trade Minister. Referencing documents handed to him by his assistant, the Redguard representative reiterated certain details of the standing agreements, then went on to speak of other related details. He referred to reports of an Orcish agitator by the name of Gorbakh, claiming to be in the possession of an 'artefact of Gortwog', the leader of the Orcs during the time of Nova Orsinium. The Redguard Minister stated that his reports indicated that Gorbakh was trying to get the settlements of the old Orsinium region and the strongholds of the Wrothgarian Mountains to band together. He also pointed to the periodic trouble with rogue Orcish settlements in the remote northern mountains on the Hammerfell side of the borders with both High Rock and Skyrim. Though some distance separated those two regions, he alluded to the likelihood of some connection. In conclusion, he made it perfectly clear that the King of Sentinel held fierce opposition to anything might support the rise of another Orsinium citadel in the region.

Naturally enough, those comments offered by the Sentinel Trade Minister provoked the direct interest of Daggerfall's Prince Regent Gothryd. He took the floor to assure the Redguard delegate that the Crown of Daggerfall fully understood the concerns of Sentinel and concurred with the views of Sentinel's King. Gothryd made it clear that Daggerfall also remained opposed to the rise of another Orsinium within the territory of High Rock and that Wayrest's Queen was fully aware that position.

Apparently recognising the potential of heated opinions breeding further trouble, Imperial Trade Minister Vicci stood and took to the podium with Consul Carvain. He assured everyone that the Empire recognised the established concerns of the local region. He stated that the Empire recognised no pressing inertia to alter the status quo, provided that the established rights of law abiding Orcs were respected as citizens of the Empire.

Only because his name was directly referenced in the matter listed on the schedule, the Minister invited Edwyn to rise and speak in relation to the discussion.

Standing to address the delegates, Edwyn explained that he wasn't advocating any sweeping changes to the spirit of the current trade embargo restrictions placed on specific Orcish items. He clarified that he was only making reference to the civilised Orcish settlements of the Orsinium Protectorate region, most specifically Ripwold, Reytry, and Midpath Hill.

Further to that, Edwyn clarified that each of those settlements were dominated by Orcish populace, but were predominantly farming communities. He suggested that embracing the trade of produce and livestock in and out of those localities would serve to further encourage the civilised nature of the people of those settlements, currently living under the direct rule of Wayrest.

Edwyn pointed out that a former head of Cyrodiil's Fighters Guild had retired to one of the farms of that region. He also noted that he understood that the fertile land of the region was capable of supporting a greater volume of exportable produce, provided that there was a market for it. He casual mentioned that the Orcish farms even produced some sweet potatoes that were not unlike varieties grown in other parts of High Rock.

His summary appeared clear. Edwyn suggested that encouraging the Orcs of those settlements to live as contributing members of Imperial society directly served to undermine the call of any agitators seeking to build another isolationist Orcish citadel in the region.

Trade Minister Vicci seemed to approve of what Edwyn had said. However, there appeared to be little sweeping enthusiasm from anyone else in the room for any movement toward any sort of directed action.

That was affirmed when it came to a call to vote upon two resolutions. The first indicated agreement for leaving the specifics of the current embargo in place. The second established no objection to Edwyn's suggestions regarding farming related trade with the communities of the Orsinium Protectorate region. However, there seemed little interest in moving toward actively encouraging the farming of grains, livestock and the like with official trade agreements. It seemed clear enough that nothing much was likely to change in the short term. Edwyn hadn't really expected much different.

The following matters on the agenda passed with little fanfare. Edwyn tried to pay attention, but his mind again easily drifted from the moment upon more than one occasion. On the one hand, he recognised that part of his weariness came from the interruption to his sleep before the dawn. Even so, he had slept well enough before that and he suspected that far more of how he felt came from dwelling upon what Inspector Attius wanted of him and his concerns over what might come out of that.

As soon as the recess was declared, Kingsley passed idle comment as he was putting away documents into his satchel. "That business with the old Orsinium region. That seemed… well, it seemed a bit contentious."

Edwyn shrugged mildly. "It passed much like I expected."

Lafont interjected. "Your bodyguard is from that region. Isn't she?"

Edwyn returned a nod. "Yes. From the farming community in Ripwold."

"Not a farmer though?"

"Well, her family are farmers." Edwyn closed his document satchel.

Kingsley commented again. "Well, I suppose that Orc farmers might be less of a concern... for those worried about Orc warriors rebuilding old Orsinium."

Edwyn nodded again. "That's more or less what I was hoping to get across. Even if Daggerfall and Sentinel are not so open to listening, I was hoping that the Imperial Trade Minister might be swayed."

"Makes sense." Lafont seemed to readily agree.

Kingsley seemed less convinced. "How so?"

Edwyn sighed lightly. "I'm hoping that the Empire might recognise the value of the civilised Orcish settlements finding greater motivation in farming produce and livestock for export. If they're making good coin with that, they're less likely to be interested in uprisings or dissent, and more likely to be paying export taxes."

Kingsley bobbed his head side to side in tentative agreement. "Yes, I suppose that does make some sense. You're expecting the Empire to be the voice calling for any changes to come in that regard."

Edwyn added something more. "I don't expect anything to happen too quickly… but planting the seed… well, these things take time."

"Yes, I suppose so." Kingsley accepted the logic of it.

Lafont seemed to have nothing to add. She was looking toward the front of the room.

Following her gaze, Edwyn glanced toward the front rows. He noticed that Lord Flyte was speaking with the Countess Menevia and the Duke of Alcaire. He thought it easy enough to broadly guess what the conversation might be about.

Clearing her throat, Lafont waved her hand toward the main doors out of the Grand Hall. It seemed that the first wave of delegates was just clearing the exit, as several others were still lingering about, like Lord Flyte and some of the nobles.

Kingsley and Edwyn took her meaning, agreeing that it did seem like a good time to make their way for the doors.

By the time that they'd almost made it over to the main doors, the guards had again closed them. That always seemed to make little sense to Edwyn, since the doors would just need to be opened again and there was no shortage of guards on either side. As they neared the doors, the guards again opened them to permit clear passage to the anteroom.

* * *

Though he wasn't the only voice out there, Hans could be easily heard above the others. "Just sayin'… I'd just rather be doin' somethin' about it, than leavin' all of it to some Imperial spectre. Last night, even had some stupid dream about a tall vampire lurking over me while I was sleepin'."

Yurma glared at the big Nord with focussed expression.

Hans looked directly past her. "Looks like that's us then. Our people are here."

Dantien was already rising as Yurma turned about to see Edwyn, Kingsley and Lafont approaching from the direction of the Grand Hall. She hadn't even heard the doors opening again.

Preparing to fall into step with her charge, Yurma briefly noticed that Sir Dalric was still standing in the corner, silently waiting for Lord Flyte to depart the Grand Hall. She tried not to make it seem too obvious that she was purposely watching him. She certainly believed that he was watching everyone else from behind his closed visor. Though she now had good reason to be actively suspicious of him, she certainly didn't want to openly declare that to be the case.

The periodically interrupted march back over to the southern wing of the castle passed much as expected. Even if the guards at the checkpoints recognised some or all, they still made some effort to examine papers each time passers by were stopped. The other lone guards posted here and there at various points merely made a show of paying some directed attention to anyone passing by.

In due course, the rest of the group was leaving Kingsley and Hans at the door to the banker's quarters. Once again, Kingsley had inadvertently managed to arrive just as a meal cart was headed toward his door. Hans seemed outwardly pleased about that happenstance.

Lafont and Dantien continued onward along the corridor as Edwyn and Yurma arrived at their guest suite and then headed on inside.

As soon as he was inside, with an expression of weariness, Edwyn immediately headed directly for the bathroom with intent. As he was returning to the sitting room area just a few moments later, Yurma was answering a knock at the door. As reasonably anticipated, it was about the arrival of the meals that Edwyn had ordered earlier.

With the food and drink collected and set upon that small table in the sitting room area, once Yurma had properly checked it over, they settled down to eat.

After only a short while, Yurma felt the urge to prompt Edwyn. "Saw that Flyte turned up real late this morning. Anything happen?"

Edwyn nodded as he finished chewing. "Well yes."

"And?"

"Well, I was firstly concerned that I wouldn't have the opportunity to speak with him this morning… but, as soon he was inside… well, he headed directly for where the three of us were seated."

Yurma's expectant frown prompted Edwyn to continue.

"Well, Lord Flyte firstly told us that Inspector Attius interrupted his morning walk outside… and then he was quick to warn us of the topics of the questions he'd just heard. Since he thought they seemed directly related to certain interests in Wayrest."

Responding to Yurma's further prompting, Edwyn went on to clarify exactly what Flyte had spoken of and the general manner of his reactions. Especially his reactions in relation to Edwyn's admission that he'd also been questioned over most of the same matters. As Edwyn clarified with her, Flyte's version mentioned shady merchant activity and possible trouble among the lesser nobles of Camlorn, but didn't exactly allude to possible plots to undermine the rule of Camlorn or Daggerfall. Nor did he make any mention of vampire clans around Camlorn.

Swallowing the mouthful she was chewing on, Yurma nodded mildly. "Yeah well, we dunno exactly what Attius did or didn't say to him."

Edwyn shook his head a little, indicating that he didn't really know either. He looked to taking a few bites of food, while it was still relatively hot.

Yurma continued. "Flyte coulda been telling you everything he heard from Attius… or he coulda been holding stuff back. Waiting to hear what anyone else might say." She paused with a frown. "Attius wasn't just using you to deliver information. More like he was using you to add weight to it. Make it seem more… more like Attius really thought he was onto something."

Edwyn finished chewing on another mouthful. "You still don't think any of those things are… well, no more than some sort of misdirection?"

Yurma shook her head, with a little shrug. "Probably not. Look hard enough for shady merchants, you'll probably find some. Same with the other things. Each bit sounds just possible enough to be something… or part of something. Even if it ain't."

Chewing on a mouthful, Edwyn silently shook his head.

Yurma continued. "No matter how mad those things might seem, coming from you… and with a bit of hesitation… you end up making it all sound more believable. Flyte might be suspicious of Attius, but with your word backing up the stuff in those questions… Well, that pretty much sells the story."

Edwyn was shaking his head again. "I'm not comfortable with being involved in the Inspector's sneaky plans… and the lying."

"He woulda figured that. That's why he wasn't telling you too much of anything… and might not have even brought us into it, except we woke up before they finished… whatever it was they were doing." Yurma paused with a snorting noise. "I actually think he's making some of it up as he goes… with maybe just a loose plan of some sort."

As Yurma looked to wolfing down the last of her meal, Edwyn's brow furrowed and his head was shaking again. "With trade negotiations and the like, it's simple enough to know everyone's motivations. We're all there to sell goods and make coin. There's a bit of back and forth… and things to consider, but really, that's the core of it."

Yurma's brief expression indicated that she figured there was probably a fair bit more to it than that, and thought he knew that to be the case, but she didn't provoke any debate.

As Edwyn struggled to finish his food, Yurma had already moved on to sipping at her tea. She remained relatively quiet, appearing to be going over her thoughts.

With just a couple of bites left, Edwyn paused a moment to prompt Yurma. "Did the other bodyguards outside have anything important to say?"

Yurma shrugged. "Mostly the usual. Nobody talking about any of those things you're talking about. Nobody else woulda heard yet. There was some talk about ghosts in the main kitchens early this morning."

Edwyn nodded as he chewed on his last bite. "I forgot to say… Lord Flyte mentioned that… after Kingsley commented on how everything seemed quiet last night. Only said that he heard that the kitchen staff thought there were ghosts, but guards couldn't find anything."

Yurma returned a nod. "Yeah, pretty much what I heard. Coulda been ghosts or cloaked vampires… or coulda just been that everyone is seeing things, cos of all the troubles in the castle. Coulda even been that Altmer with Attius."

Reaching for his tea, Edwyn responded with a silent frown. His expression indicated that he wasn't quite sure what she meant by that last part.

Yurma noticed Edwyn's odd look. "Yeah, something Hans said. He mentioned something about a stupid dream last night. About a tall vampire lurking over him while he was sleeping. That Darkwater… he was using cloaking magic. When they left us this morning."

"You never mentioned that." Edwyn appeared both surprised and concerned.

Yurma shrugged. "Didn't I? Figured you saw. He used it as he was leaving with Attius… before they headed out the door."

Edwyn still looked surprised. "You never said… I didn't see anything. Not from back there." He gestured toward the bedroom area. "But… but with everything he was doing… wouldn't a mage like that probably know how to do that? You don't think he's a vampire, do you?" An expression of concern returned to his face.

Yurma looked to be of two minds. "Yeah, I s'pose a skilled mage probably would know invisibility magic and such. And Hans has been going on about vampires ever since he got up here. So, if he woke up enough to see that Altmer standing over him like that…" She paused, waving an open hand. "Y'know, I still wouldn't be shocked to find out the Penitus Oculatus has vampires. Or vampire mages. Or whatever. That Darkwater… he did seem… somehow off to me."

With a strained expression, Edwyn shook his head, swallowing a sip of tea. "But a vampire? You don't think that he could have anything to do with… with everything that has been going on?"

Yurma responded with a sharp snort. "That'd be real clever, but nah… don't reckon that. Not really. I figure that Darkwater must have lots of special skills. Ones we wouldn't even know about." She paused just a moment. "I'm thinking he might be some sort of expert vampire hunter or such. Maybe he actually got himself infected at some point… and was maybe strong enough to keep working with the Penitus Oculatus… or something like that. Dunno."

Edwyn shook his head again. All of that seemed well outside of his realm of experience. Releasing a heavy sigh, his weary expression reflected some of his concern. "There is another thing on my mind. After speaking with Lord Flyte this morning… Well, I'm a little worried that I might have made myself a target. If he really is involved in something… something nefarious… like Attius says."

Yurma wrinkled her nose. "Don't think you need get real worried. Flyte ain't gonna do anything inside the Grand Hall. Dalric ain't gonna do anything outside. Anyone else has to get past me and I ain't lettin' my guard down. If Attius is right, it'll all be done with soon enough."

Edwyn released another sigh. "I do hope so." Sipping at his tea, he noticed that some of his physical weariness seemed to have eased a little after eating something. However, the wear upon his state of mind remained somewhat more persistent.

Without feeling the need to say anything, Yurma headed off for the bathroom at the rear of the guest suite. Aware that it wouldn't be all that long before Lafont and Dantien would be again turning up at their door, Edwyn looked to finishing his tea.

~O~


	23. Chapter 23

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 23

Middas the 7th of Evening Star 4E71 Evening

After finishing up some tentative opening negotiations with Antonia Verus, the East Empire Company representative from Solitude, Edwyn Northwind sighed as he looked about to be sure nothing else would be requiring his active participation that afternoon.

He quickly noticed that both Kingsley and Lafont had already concluded any business that required their involvement and had returned to their seats in the fifth row to wait for him to complete his discussions.

Back before returning from the midday break, with various other seemingly urgent distractions intruding upon his thoughts, Edwyn hadn't given any proper mind to what was upon the schedule for the afternoon session of the summit.

The first few matters of the afternoon had proved somewhat mundane, perhaps only barely keeping Edwyn's mind from drifting away from the task at hand, or even worse, from actually nodding off to sleep.

After those scheduled discussions were concluded, following the pattern of the previous days, various individuals were encouraged to head for the tables at the rear of the room to participate in both formal and informal negotiations. Some of the delegates appeared to come away from certain engagements looking rather pleased with themselves. Others seemed more difficult to read.

Much of what Edwyn found himself discussing merely involved confirmation of previous standing arrangements, along with some measure of promise to pursue specifics of further details at a later date as final contracts were examined. None of those particular dealings came as great surprise to him.

However, Edwyn had been mildly surprised as Trade Minister Vicci came to him to touch upon those suggestions he'd earlier raised regarding the Orcish farming communities of the Orsinium Protectorate region. The Minister hadn't actually made any promises, or even suggested that any direct assistance could be expected from Cyrodill. Yet he did imply that if those farming communities of that region were to demonstrate the capacity of sufficient export yields to the Wayrest markets, then he could imagine that some official assistance could be possibly directed to further support such endeavours.

Though that was certainly along the lines of what Edwyn might have been hoping for, he hadn't really expected to hear anything at all. At least, not in the short term. Of course, he understood that the Minister's words added up to little more than vague promise, delivered with the tone of encouragement. Even so, that still seemed far more positive than the notion of being ignored out of hand or even actively discouraged.

The second thing to surprise Edwyn came right at the end. The East Empire Company representative started off with touching upon some more predictable matters. After that, she shifted topic to express her tentative interest in what he'd suggested with regard to those Orcish farming communities. In a somewhat similar fashion to what he'd heard from the Imperial Trade Minister, Verus made no firm promises. Even so, she suggested that there might well be some interest in trade shipments for the winter stores in the north, if the Orcs demonstrated a capability of producing exportable volumes.

Of course, Edwyn hadn't viewed any of it as bankable interest, but he did recognise the potential for something in the future. At the same time, it would come down to what those Orcish farmers thought of it. He imagined that his fresh connection with his Orcish bodyguard, and in turn her uncle would serve as a good place to start conversations that might lead to something of substance in due course.

Those thoughts remained fresh in his mind as he headed back to where his other Wayrest associates were still seated. Nearing their position, Edwyn noticed that Kingsley clearly appeared bored and Lafont also looked anxious to move along. Though traversing the corridors of the castle together in a group had somehow become something of a ritual over the past few days, Edwyn actually felt just a little surprised that they'd chosen to wait around so long for him.

Observing his approach, Kingsley shifted in his seat. "I take it that the afternoon's negotiations have proved rather fruitful for you?"

Edwyn nodded slightly. "Well, yes. More or less. For those I represent."

Kingsley affected a forced grin. "Well and good. What's good for Wayrest's merchants will likely prove good for all our fine city, one should hope."

"Yes, one should hope." Edwyn returned a reserved smile.

With raised eyebrows, Kingsley shook his head slightly. "For my part, I find my continuing presence here seemingly far less engaging by the day. Still, I expect my absence would be regarded rather poorly." He paused, glancing to Marie Lafont. "At least the Mariners Guild maintains as much relevance as the Merchants Guild."

Lafont returned her gaze to the other two. "Enough to keep me involved. Even if a lot of it's just maintaining what's already in place." Her tone carried little enthusiasm.

Edwyn momentarily shifted his eyes toward where Lafont had been looking. At one of the tables at the rear, Lord Flyte was still actively engaged in possible negotiation with each of the three senior Redguard delegates. At least, Edwyn assumed it was negotiation and not just the delivery of gossip and rumour.

When they'd earlier returned from the midday break, Edwyn had wondered whether he would find himself drawn into a follow up conversation with Lord Flyte, after that discourse before the start of the morning session.

However, finding that Flyte had arrived back in the Grand Hall before them after the midday break, it was obvious that he was already busy with other individuals. Just before the afternoon session had resumed, he'd been in conversation with both the Imperial Trade Minister and the sister of Crown Prince Gothryd. If Lord Flyte had related anything of that earlier conversation, it was not reflected in the outward demeanour of either Minister Vicci or the Lady Glenpoint. Of course, Edwyn supposed that each of them would be well practised in the arts of concealing their concerns.

Still looking away, Edwyn thought that Kingsley had said something, but he didn't quite hear.

"Reckon it's after five, but well short of six." Lafont passed the comment in a dry fashion.

Kingsley took the meaning easily enough. "Not too early to be on our way, one should think."

Since each of them had already packed away their documents, Edwyn nodded and murmured his agreement. With little to directly obstruct their passage, they headed off for the main doors leading out of the Grand Hall.

* * *

Passing through the guarded doors out to that anteroom adjacent to the Grand Hall, Edwyn tried to avoid looking directly toward Sir Dalric, where the silent knight was standing in the corner apart from others.

Instead, Edwyn found himself looking to the armed Redguards seated together along that side of the space. Two of them returned prolonged glances. The third tried looking past him to see through the guarded doors before they were again closed.

Partially because he'd been avoiding looking in the direction of Lord Flyte's bodyguard, Edwyn also noticed that large male Orc bodyguard sitting by himself at the end of the bench. Though the Orc looked to be avoiding eye contact with anyone present, it did seem that he was remaining watchful of everyone and everything. Since he'd not thought to ask, Edwyn still wasn't certain which delegate that other Orc was attached to.

Yurma, Hans and Dantien had evidently observed the approach of their charges and risen from the bench seats in response. Once again, it appeared that they'd remained seated together during the afternoon.

Without delay, the three Wayrest delegates and their bodyguards were soon on their way away from the Grand Hall and heading back toward the southern wing of the castle.

At the end of the broad corridor leading to the main entrance of Castle Daggerfall, a couple of local delegates were some short distance ahead of them. As they were passing through the outer doors, Edwyn observed that it looked like it was already becoming dark outside. A gust of cool air blasted through the opening, causing the flames of the oil lamps mounted to the walls to flicker wildly. That served as a brisk reminder that the coming winter of the month of Evening Star was just outside the walls of the castle.

After negotiating the various checkpoints along the way and passing a few more guards standing vigil in the corridors of the southern wing, with friendly words exchanged, Kingsley and Hans departed the group at the banker's guest quarters. A few moments later, leaving Lafont and Dantien to continue onward, Edwyn and Yurma had arrived at his quest suite in the same fashion and then headed on inside.

With the two glasses of water he'd downed over the past couple of hours on his mind, Edwyn headed directly for the bathroom as Yurma was still locking the door.

A short time later, Edwyn returned to the sitting room area, where Yurma had already set aside her shield and settled down upon a sofa. Some of the internal tension he'd been feeling earlier in the day over having that conversation with Lord Flyte had subsided, but it was not forgotten. Very little had been said as they were marching through the halls and corridors of the castle. Edwyn was feeling anxious to learn what Yurma might have picked up from her counterparts that afternoon while he was inside the Grand Hall.

"Did the other bodyguards have much to say this afternoon?"

Yurma shrugged mildly. "A bit, I s'pose. Some rumours already getting around since this morning. Hans was even part of it… with the vampire talk. Not Dantien so much. He took off for a bit."

Edwyn returned a frown. "Took off?"

"Yeah. Headed back down to town for a bit. To go see his wife."

"His wife?"

"Yeah. That's what he said. Just letting her know he'd be up here for a bit longer. He got back only a half-hour before you came out. Mentioned it looks like there's a storm coming in off the bay tonight."

Edwyn returned a silent nod. He was just thinking that a coming storm might explain that gusty wind about the front entrance. Even if the thick walls of the castle had failed to keep other troubles outside, they certainly seemed to manage to keep all signs of the weather outside from intrusion.

Yurma continued. "Yeah well, all that talk about vampires was back on after the noon break… now with a few added bits."

Edwyn's raised eyebrows served well enough as prompt.

"Yeah well, Flyte's rumours must spread like grassfires in a dry summer. Everyone's talking about vampires coming from the Camlorn area and what that might mean."

Since she'd paused again, Edwyn responded. "So, what are they saying… about what it might mean?"

Yurma waved her hand dismissively. "When they thought we might be dealing with just a few rogue vampires coming to Daggerfall, nobody was extra concerned. Except for the usual concern of dealing with vampires. Even if some of 'em somehow got into the castle for some reason. Though some had been tossing in the idea of vampires maybe coming from the Dominion before, most others didn't go for that. But the idea of an organised clan of vampires coming from the Camlorn area… that seems like it stirred things up a bit more."

Edwyn frowned thoughtfully, but didn't say anything.

Yurma continued. "Yeah well, now talk has shifted a bit to be about likely trouble for Camlorn and the Prince's brother… and whether those vampires are part of some bigger plot to cause big problems for Daggerfall and maybe all of High Rock."

Edwyn shook his head. "But… but, I thought that all of that is likely just some sort of misinformation from Inspector Attius… isn't it?"

"I thought so… but now I'm starting to wonder if his stories ain't gonna cause more trouble than what he's looking to stop. I'm thinking…" Yurma's words were interrupted by a knock at the door.

Given the probable hour, it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise that a castle servant was outside to take orders for evening meals. After Edwyn had joined her at the door to deal with that matter, they soon returned to the sitting room area of the suite once again.

The proper flow of the conversation had been lost to interruption, but Edwyn thought that he'd gained the general idea of what Yurma had been relating. Since they were alone again and it would be some time before meals arrived, he verbally summarised his thoughts.

"So then, the general focus of the speculation among bodyguards has shifted… according to those things that Attius wanted to be heard."

Yurma shrugged. "Sorta. All the other bodyguards would still be looking out to keeping their people safe. And maybe there actually is some trouble in Camlorn that needs sorting. The Bretons from Camlorn, apart from agreeing that there's sometimes the occasional vampire getting into town, that they hear about… apart from that, they say they don't know nothing about the rest of it."

Without speaking, Edwyn assumed that she was referring to Breton bodyguards from Camlorn, though he didn't actually know which ones they were.

Yurma continued. "Whatever might be going on, in or around Camlorn, I still reckon that Attius is just using that as a distraction from how he's actually dealing with what is right here, right now."

"To distract those who are actually involved in the current troubles?"

"Yeah. Pretty much."

"Like Sir Dalric?"

Yurma nodded with a grimace. "Yeah, Dalric. Been trying to keep an eye on him… without looking too much like I'm keeping an eye on him. Leastways, not any more than anyone else. Pretty sure he's taking in everything that's going on… but no way to know anything else."

Without articulating, Edwyn thoughts raced through several notions. He considered that Dalric might be the main individual passing information to the mysterious attackers, or that it could actually be Lord Flyte, or that it really was both of them. He also considered whether they could be in the service of those attackers, or whether it might be the other way around, or whether they both served someone else altogether. Shaking his head, Edwyn tried to dispel all of that before he found himself with a terrible headache.

Yurma looked to Edwyn, her odd expression reflecting his strange look. "So, what about inside the Grand Hall?"

Understanding what she meant, Edwyn affected a thoughtful expression. "Well, I think that it's fair to note that Lord Flyte has been spreading his rumours since before noon. I've observed him speaking with some others in muted tone… and evidently, they have gone on to speak with others. From what I've observed, the other delegates are not openly letting on what they do or do not know… or even believe. I did notice that both Crown Prince Gothryd and the Lady Glenpoint appeared serious… but reserved. However, nothing even vaguely official has been said at all. Not by Consul Carvain or Minister Vicci. For the most part, it would seem that the business of the summit has been proceeding unaffected."

Yurma nodded her silent acceptance.

Shifting with a start, Edwyn spoke again. "Oh, I forgot to mention. I did learn that we don't have all that long to go. If things pass according to schedule, tomorrow is to be the last full day of the summit, with perhaps a short morning session on Fredas, if needed."

Yurma nodded again. "Sounds good. Means we could probably be outa here and on a ship some time Loredas… with luck."

"Yes, I think so. Provided that passage is available."

Yurma fell silent for a moment, seemingly considering that matter.

Edwyn broke the pause. "There is something else that you might want to know. A matter raised in the trade summit."

Yurma's curious frown prompted him to continue.

"It's about your home town. Well, the whole Orsinium protectorate region really, I suppose." Edwyn went on to explain the summit discussion regarding trade with Orcish farming communities of that region and the general outcomes arising from it.

His proper explanation was interrupted by the arrival of their meals being delivered to the door. That actually coincided with the arrival of another member of the castle staff, looking to check on drinking water, candles and oil lamps. Having taken possession of the food and drink and moved it to the small table, Yurma check it over as they waited for the second servant to attend his tasks. Once he was done, she locked the door behind him and returned to sit down at the table with Edwyn.

Yurma waited until they were about half way through the meal before her contemplative expression eventually gave way to words, prompting Edwyn for further detail of what he'd been relating to her before the interruptions. Between bites, he expanded upon various specific details to offer greater clarity, also explaining the apparent favour of the Imperial Trade Minister and the tentative interest expressed by the East Empire Company representative with regard to future trade with Orcish farming communities.

Yurma's responses telegraphed some ambivalence. As she clarified her understanding, she expressed that it seemed to her that certain parties 'might' be interested in farmed produce trade with those Orc settlements, if there was enough to make it worth their while. However, it also sounded like they needed to firstly hold the capacity to meet that expectation, before any likely agreement would be properly looked at. It all sounded like a lot of 'ifs' and 'maybes' to her. She didn't claim to know exactly how all the Orc farmers would respond. Since they ran one of the biggest farms in the area, she thought that her family might be interested, but also figured that it might take some sort of grouping of all the local farms to make it all work.

Edwyn pointed out that a number of farmers in other parts of the Wayrest region partly managed larger affairs as collective groups. The Gavaudon tea growers served as a fair example. Though each farmer operated independently, the broader trade of tea was handled via a merchant operation under the direction of the Lord of Gavaudon. The Countess of Menevia maintained a similar arrangement.

Yurma suggested that she felt it might take a lot of persuasion to make something like that happen. By her reckoning, even if her father and uncle were behind it, it would still need a lot of others acting agreeable and cooperative.

With meals finished and partly cleaned up, Edwyn tried to offer her some further helpful words. "In my view, provided that the Orc communities want to go ahead with something like that, I'm confident that support from Wayrest's Merchant Guild can be organised."

Yurma nodded, still looking somewhat concerned. "Getting all them farmers of that area to want to work together is just one thing. I'm still worried about some sort of outside trouble from Daggerfall or from Redguards… from across the bay."

Edwyn tried not to reflect her concerned expression. "I'd think it too early to be considering such things. At least officially, Daggerfall and Sentinel hold no objection to farm trade out of that area. Only remaining firm over maintaining the restrictions upon Orcish weapons and the like."

Getting up from her seat, Yurma wrinkled her nose. "Yeah well, I'd reckon there can be big differences between what they say and what they do. Especially if Orcish farming settlements start looking like they're doing real well.

"Perhaps." Edwyn responded pensively, remaining seated at the table.

Yurma moved off, taking the trays with the aftermath of their meals to be left outside the door for collection by passing castle staff.

With a sigh, Yurma resumed. "Back before my time… when Daggerfall and Sentinel took down the Orsinium Citadel… well, the only reason them little settlements survived was cos of what was left of the Legion in that area. Both my parents were orphaned cos of that."

Edwyn returned a sympathetic nod. "I understand."

"Yeah well, apart from a handful of Legion, only reason them settlements got left alone is cos they didn't matter much to the invaders. No Orc warrior types… just some farmers, old folk, children and such. And even now, all we got is some volunteer militia to chase off bandit types and such." She paused with another sigh. "If we start looking like something that matters, I gotta wonder if that ain't gonna be the start of new troubles."

Edwyn frowned. "To the best of my understanding, Queen Carolyna is likely to be openly supportive of successful farming communities in the old Orsinium region. Especially so, if that means even more trade passing through Wayrest."

"Yeah, I get that… but 'support' might need to be more than just talk."

Edwyn responded with another silent expression of concern.

"Yeah well, I ain't saying that Daggerfall or Sentinel would be likely to go marching in with soldiers, like before. Things are different now. But it ain't so hard to use gold to encourage bandits and raiders to go do their dirty work. If I can think of that…"

Edwyn's expression clearly indicated that he hadn't thought of such a thing. "So, what you are saying…?"

"What I'm saying is… we might need help dealing with bandits… protecting farmlands and wagon transports to and from Wayrest. Ain't like the Legion is gonna set up an outpost in the highlands."

Edwyn nodded thoughtfully. "I understand. In any case, it's early days. No more than an idea at this stage. Plenty of time to worry about that later."

Yurma turned her head. She looked as though she'd been distracted by a noise.

Edwyn hadn't actually heard anything, but he suddenly felt a rumbling sensation rise up through the floor, even feeling it through his chair and the table. "What was that?"

Yurma appeared to listen out for noises just briefly before responding. "Thunder… I think. Dantien did say he thought a storm was coming."

Edwyn looked to her with measured concern, trying to judge if what she suggested was right or whether there could some other more concerning activity at play.

Yurma's expression remained more confident, though she also seemed to be waiting for further confirmation.

Edwyn nearly fell off his chair as the sound of the splitting crack of a nearby lightning strike loudly penetrated the thick walls and seemed to reverberate through the stone. A further deep rumbling quickly followed the preceding noise. His expression indicated that he wasn't certain whether to be concerned over the loud thunder or relieved that it wasn't anything else.

Avoiding the temptation to smirk at Edwyn's reaction, Yurma nodded. "Yeah, definitely a storm. A big one from the sounds of it."

Finally convinced that a storm raging outside the castle was the source of the disturbance, and not some conflict between guards and mages in the corridors of the southern wing, Edwyn relaxed somewhat. He passed a comment expressing how he still found it odd to remain within the stone walls of the castle for so long. He also mentioned how he felt that it seemed strange to be generally so fully isolated from all the effects of the outside weather, making the muffled intrusion of a noisy storm seem even more odd.

Soon enough, the effects of a long and tiring day had seemingly caught up with Edwyn. After the passing alarm of being startled by the loud noises coming from outside had subsided, he soon found himself feeling increasingly worn and unable to keep his yawning at bay. With nothing else of pressing import to discuss or consider, Edwyn headed off to make a reasonably early night of it.

* * *

Without any certainty of exactly how long he'd been sleeping, Edwyn awoke abruptly, still not entirely knowing why. It was only a guess on his part that it was likely sometime much later in the evening, possibly on the far side of midnight.

Opening his eyes to the relative darkness about him, he heard the muffled noises of shouting and of boots on the stone floor rushing down the corridor outside. He reasonably assumed that had to be what had woken him.

With some measure of groggy alarm, he felt tenuously confident that the only sounds he could hear were almost definitely coming only from outside. At least, he hoped that to be the case. He cautiously slipped from beneath the covers and moved over toward the screen separating his sleeping area from the rest of the guest suite. Ignoring the sensation of the cold stone beneath his bare feet, Edwyn peered over the screen with some trepidation.

By the light of a single candle burning in the sitting room area, he could see Yurma standing by the door with axe in hand and apparently listening intently to whatever might be going on beyond the heavy timber door.

Wearing only his underclothing, Edwyn remained quietly in place for a lengthy moment, before finally deciding to pad out toward where Yurma was standing. He imagined that she'd most likely heard his approach, but chose to otherwise remain silent, waiting for her say something.

Edwyn was just about to finally speak, when more noises were heard coming from somewhere along the corridor.

It was a male voice speaking loudly and assertively. "Stay inside and keep the door locked." After a pause, he shouted out again. "No arguments. For your own safety." Whoever might have been involved in the other part of the exchange remained unheard.

Yurma's raised hand served as signal to remain quiet. Edwyn complied, also listening out for any further sounds of what might be going on outside. Mostly, he was hoping that whatever it was, it would continue to remain only outside of their locked guest suite and not result in any threatening intrusion.

The echoes of some further shouting were soon heard coming from somewhere in the distance. Evidently, it all seemed too far off to make out anything at all of what was being said.

A short moment later, the noise of some more boots rushing by outside the door came and went, indicating that the disturbance seemed to be moving off toward somewhere else. Without really knowing anything of what was going on out there, that particular detail still seemed something of a small comfort.

Edwyn continued to remain silent for a few more moments, listening and intently watching Yurma for her reactions. Eventually, he gave in to the burning need to say actually say something. He kept his voice down to a whisper. "Any idea what it's about?"

Yurma frowned, seemingly annoyed at his spoken question, then appeared to decide that silence was no longer necessary. Though louder than his whisper, she still kept her voice low. "Dunno… dunno exactly…"

"But?" Edwyn prompted her, presuming that she must have some idea.

Yurma shook her head subtly. Checking that the door remained locked, she turned away from it, keeping her axe on hand. "Didn't hear anything of exactly what's going on. Guards are chasing someone… or something."

"Something? One of those vampires?"

Yurma shrugged. "Dunno. Probably. Maybe. Dunno. Long as it ain't a problem on this side of the door, I'm good with that."

"But?"

"But nothin'. All them guards involved, ain't nothin' for us be worrying about. Even so, I'll be staying on guard. Least til I'm sure no one's coming this way."

Suddenly becoming more aware of the chill in the air and wrapping his arms about one another, Edwyn tried to entice something more out of what she might think about what could be happening outside. However, Yurma wasn't interested in discussing it any further, instead encouraging him to go back to bed and get some more rest.

Without any further protest, Edwyn reluctantly agreed to return to bed, trusting in the vigilance of his bodyguard to keep him from danger. He diverted briefly to visit the bathroom, then soon found his way back beneath warmth of the covers. Though he expected he'd have trouble falling asleep again, it wasn't really that long before he eventually drifted off to relatively peaceful slumber.

~O~


	24. Chapter 24

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 24

Turdas the 8th of Evening Star 4E71 Morning

After having slept far more soundly than he might have reasonably expected, Edwyn awoke with a little start, wondering exactly what time it might be. It still frustrated him a little that he remained mostly oblivious to anything of the outside world beyond the thick walls of the castle. It seemed that he almost needed to rely upon what he was told by castle staff to even know whether it was night or day. He felt as though he must have slept long enough for it to be morning, but he wasn't quite sure whether it was still very early or beginning to grow late.

Hearing subdued movement not far from his sleeping area, Edwyn realised that it had to be Yurma visiting the bathroom. Though still bleary eyes, he could make out a dim light coming from that direction.

Edwyn waited until he observed her partly shadowed form emerging from the doorway of the bathroom, before speaking up in a croaky voice. "What time is it?"

Yurma paused mid-step. "Dunno exactly. Probably time to get up." She then continued on her way back out to the sitting room area.

Edwyn cast aside the covers, then rose and made his way for the bathroom. He quickly noticed that the chill in the air seemed a little more pronounced than the past few mornings. At least, he thought that to be the case. He reasonably supposed that it might have had something to do with the effects of that storm during the previous evening.

As he attended to immediate matters in the bathroom, then washed and looked to shaving his face for the day, Edwyn's mind shifted to recount those things that had disturbed his sleep during the early hours. Though he could make some reasonable guesses, he didn't really know for certain what all the noise had been about. The guards had evidently been chasing down someone or something. Any precise detail of specifics remained unknown. In any event, he remained mildly relieved that the whole thing had passed without any immediate danger intruding upon their guest suite.

In due course, Edwyn emerged from the bathroom and dressed for the day. With that persistent chill remaining upon the air, he didn't need to think twice about wearing his long blue coat, even choosing to fasten a few buttons to keep the cold at bay.

Coming out to the sitting room area, he observed that Yurma had lit some of the lamps out there. She was again seated upon that sofa with another book in hand. He also noticed that she'd already dressed in her armour. He made the reasonable assumption that it was more likely due to the cool morning, rather than the hour growing late.

Without looking up from her book, Yurma passed comment. "Thought about setting a fire in the brazier. Figured that by the time it made a difference, we'd be out of here. Anyways, ain't all that cold."

Though he understood that he probably shouldn't have been, Edwyn was still mildly surprised by her ability to seemingly pick up on whatever he might be thinking. With that in mind, he raised the obvious topic. "Nothing else last night… after all that noise outside?"

Yurma shrugged, setting aside her book. "Nothing affecting us in here."

"And… and you still don't know anything more?"

Yurma shook her head slightly. "Not really. Most of the noise seemed to settle down after that first bit. Heard some guards passing by a few times. Whatever it was… musta moved to somewhere further off from here."

"Do you think… do you think that it was Inspector Attius putting an end to the trouble… the ones that were behind it all."

Yurma shrugged again. "Dunno. He reckoned it would be over soon… when he was in here the other morning… with that High Elf. All them guards must've been chasing down somebody. With any luck, they got 'em… and they got 'em all. S'pose we'll have to just wait and see. That's if anyone will say anything about it."

"Yes, I suppose so." Edwyn's expression remained somewhat ill at ease. Realising that he was thirsty, he poured himself a glass of water, then sat down with it at the small table.

As Edwyn sipped at his water, Yurma mentioned that it would probably not be long before they could expect the morning meal cart doing the rounds. As if to prove her apparent prescience, a knock came at the door just as Edwyn finished his water.

Yurma quickly rose to answer the call. After unlocking and opening the door, she stood aside to allow Edwyn to come over to speak with the staff attendant waiting outside. As had been the case the past two days, a castle guard served as silent escort to the Breton woman delivering morning meals. Despite Edwyn's gentle prompts, he gained little more in passing conversation than an estimation of the time. The guard was unwilling to speak of anything about the disturbances during the early hours.

Soon enough, Edwyn was patiently waiting for Yurma to check over the tea and sweetbreads and provide her declaration that everything appeared untainted. Once they'd started eating, a silence fell between them. Whatever either of them might have been thinking, remained unspoken.

Yurma waited until Edwyn finished with his sweetbread and was sipping at his tea before making casual inquiry of what he expected to be dealing with at the summit meetings that morning. With raised eyebrows, Edwyn looked over to his open document satchel and the papers upon the desk over the far side of the room before answering.

"I'm… I'm not certain. Provided that the schedule hasn't been adjusted, I think that it was mostly about some of the shipping to and from Stros M'Kai… both the trade with ports of Iliac Bay and those of Cyrodiil. Also some discussions of specific trade of rare commodities… I think. I don't recall the details off hand."

Yurma's expression seemed to indicate that she wasn't really all that interested and was more likely just making conservation to pass the time. Edwyn also suspected that she might just be trying to steer any conversation away from other matters that remained well outside of their direct influence.

After a lengthy pause, Yurma wrinkled her nose. "I hear that Stros M'Kai needs to import a lot of stuff from mainland ports, but I wouldn't figure on any Redguards wanting to be getting anything coming from Orc farms."

"No, I suppose not." Edwyn wasn't expecting any mention of that, despite the topic of that conversation of the previous evening. "Not that it's a concern at this time, I would think that Redguard traders wouldn't necessarily need to know that certain produce coming from Wayrest… might be originally coming from the old Orsinium region… if that were the case."

Yurma snorted, maintaining a mild smirk afterward. "Reckon I like the way you think."

Edwyn raised his eyebrows. "Sometimes… too much detail can serve to sour certain arrangements. Better to negotiate a deal so that parties are able to receive precisely what they want and need… rather than what they might think they want… or not want. After all, some people do not like to really think of how an animal lived and died, when they look down upon the dinner plate."

With a dry chuckle, Yurma found his rationale easy enough to agree with and said as much. She then directed the conversation further into the region of the theoretical. She spoke some more of the crops and livestock currently common to Ripwold. She speculated over what could be readily produced in greater volume and what might be reasonably added to that, prompting Edwyn over what produce that Wayrest might actually need more of.

That conversation continued in fits and bursts as she tidied up the aftermath of the morning meal and then looked to setting the trays outside the door for collection.

Apparently, the idle discussion went on for far longer than either of them thought and was only disrupted by a knock at the door. That time, it was Lafont and Dantien at their door.

Though it seemed that they'd arrived much earlier than expected, it was really more the case that they were only slightly early and Edwyn had just lost track of how long he'd been speaking with Yurma.

After pleasantries were exchanged, Edwyn invited them to come inside for a moment, since he wasn't quite ready to depart. Once both were clear of it, Yurma closed the door behind them, though not actually locking it.

Edwyn hurried over to the far side of the room to collect his documents at the desk.

Given that they weren't intending to be there long, Lafont and Dantien remained standing in the sitting room area.

Lafont maintained a serious expression. "You heard all that noise last night?"

Still packing away loose documents into his satchel, Edwyn returned a distracted response. "Well… well yes. It… it seemed difficult… not to hear it."

Yurma interjected. "Mostly, just guards rushing down the corridors."

"Yes, mostly." Lafont nodded, without looking to the Orc.

Edwyn briefly looked back over to Lafont. "So… so, you don't know anything more?"

Lafont shrugged. "Not much. Not yet."

Dantien spoke up. "The guards had to be chasing down somebody, but they're not saying anything useful about it."

Yurma responded directly. "You asked them?"

Dantien nodded without enthusiasm. "Asked one of them, just now, but didn't get much. He'd only say that everything was in hand and there was nothing to be concerned about."

Yurma wrinkled her nose. "Pretty much what we heard."

"We asked the guard escorting the meal cart." Edwyn added that part.

Lafont sighed. "Long as it's not any direct threat to any of us…" She didn't need to say any more.

Bringing over his satchel, Edwyn apologised for the delay, then rushed off to visit the bathroom once more leaving for the morning. As soon as he was back, they departed together and Yurma locked the door behind them.

Moments later, they'd arrived at Kingsley's quarters, located just around the corner.

Since Kingsley was still preparing himself for the morning, everyone stepped inside to wait for a few moments. A similar conversation passed regarding the disturbances heard outside during the early hours. As was quickly learned, no one had anything much different to offer.

Hans grumbled about being told to stay inside when it was all happening, then went on with a bit more. "What I'm sayin' is… is if they let any vampires get away again, then the problem ain't over."

It seemed that Kingsley had finally collected himself by the time that Han finished his words. "Well, I for one, am rather glad for those particular problems to be chased by the castle's guards, rather than intruding upon my quarters. I'm also rather glad to have yourself standing between those threats and myself."

Hans' grunt seemed to indicate his acceptance of Kingsley's view, though he still seemed unhappy over having no involvement in putting the lurking threats to rest.

Edwyn silently noted that Kingsley had not made any mention of his previous bodyguard. In fact, it seemed that he'd largely avoided the topic of Copperton's demise since acquiring the services of the Nord Guild Fighter. He expected that Kingsley hadn't wanted to think of it too much. Even so, he expected that arrangements would still need to be made to transport the man's body back to Wayrest.

Soon enough, the banker had gathered his things and the group was leaving Kingsley's guest suite behind, once again heading off along the corridors and halls toward their destination for the morning.

The presence of stationed guards and checkpoints seemed no different from the previous morning. That circumstance hardly provided any indication of whether the disturbances of the previous evening had proved fruitful or otherwise. No gentle prompting of the guards at the checkpoints seemed likely to yield any commentary.

Eventually reaching the passage by the main castle entrance, Edwyn noticed a couple of local delegates just coming in through the front doors. The Breton man was one of his counterparts from Daggerfall's trade guild, along with his hired bodyguard. The other delegate was a representative of Daggerfall's Mages College. Though Edwyn wasn't certain, he felt that she hadn't attended every single session of the summit. From the way that she carried herself, he thought that it seemed to declare that she commonly suited only herself and held no reliance upon needing a bodyguard.

The front doors parted once again as their group reached the turn leading toward the Grand Hall. The plump and pallid Daggerfall banker came in with his bodyguard. Edwyn thought that Kingsley seemed to hasten his pace a little at noticing that Andre LeBlanc was headed in their general direction. Since the other man needed to show his documentation to the guards before proceeding, it seemed unlikely that he'd quickly catch up.

Arriving at the anteroom just outside the Grand Hall, Edwyn found himself again avoiding looking directly at Sir Dalric. Though it was unlikely that anyone else noticed his active avoidance, he felt that he was actually being more conspicuous by doing so.

As the three bodyguards found places to sit outside, the three Wayrest delegates displayed their papers to the guards at the entrance to Castle Daggerfall's Grand Hall, then headed on inside for the morning summit session.

* * *

While Edwyn and the other two Wayrest delegates were taking direction from the staff attendant inside the doors, he noticed that Lord Flyte was inside the Grand Hall as expected and already engaged in conversation with others near the front of room.

Since Edwyn and his compatriots were headed directly for their usual places in the fifth row, he wasn't expecting any likely interaction with the Lord of Anticlere. Evidently, whatever had been going on about the castle corridors had not been directly related to Lord Flyte or his bodyguard. Even so, Edwyn remained mildly curious of what the Lord might have to say about those disturbances of the previous evening. At the same time, he was also thinking that it might be better if there wasn't any conversation between them that morning. After all, he considered that if Lord Flyte was at all connected to anything of what was going on in that regard, then it seemed a far better idea to maintain a healthy distance from him, wherever possible.

Without trying to look directly toward the Lord of Anticlere at all, as Edwyn was placing orders for the midday meal, he did notice that Flyte had glanced in his general direction as he'd been speaking with the Lady Glenpoint and the Countess of Menevia.

Though also feeling odd about it, Edwyn found himself feeling slightly relieved once he observed Consul Carvain stepping up onto the dais in preparation of calling the morning session to order.

It seemed notable that during his morning address, the Imperial Consul made only passing mention of the disturbances heard about the castle during the early hours, suggesting that there was nothing at all to be concerned about and that no visitors to the castle had been in any danger.

However, not everyone seemed quite so convinced by the Consul's assurances. The Duke of Alcaire and one of the Redguard representatives expressed concerns. Being kept in the dark seemed to be a large part of their anxieties.

Carvain's response insisted that all was in hand with the castle's guards and that the Captain of the Guard and Penitus Oculatus Inspector had coordinated and managed everything in the very best fashion. He pointed out that the fact that no guest had come to harm stood as clear testament to their capabilities.

Just as it seemed that all the delegates had settled somewhat, the Daggerfall trade representative raised questions about the security of trade and shipping with Camlorn. That was clearly inspired by those rumours going around the previous day coming to fruition. Of course, Edwyn thought that was part of some plan that Inspector Attius had in motion. However, he still didn't know if there was any substance behind it.

Not for the first time over the past few days, Trade Minister Vicci had elected to intercede, once he'd apparently decided that Carvain appeared to be floundering with asserting some semblance of proper authority when things started to become awkward.

Stepping up beside the Consul, Minister Vicci addressed the room. He provided further assurances that everything that they'd just heard from Consul Carvain was perfectly true and that there was nothing to cause concern. He went on to suggest that they'd been in meetings with Crown Prince Gothryd and his advisers. They'd also been in consultation with Inspector Attius and the local commander of the Imperial Legion.

He suggested that the rumours of problems in Camlorn had been exaggerated. It was known that a minor problem involving vampires outside of that city had been a source of some growing concern. However, Minister Vicci insisted that it was nothing like the scope of things from days long past. He'd been advised that it was nothing more than a minor resurgence of rogue vampires and not an indication of a fresh uprising of organised clans of bloodfiends.

Even so, Vicci advised that once the current activities in Daggerfall were properly concluded, matters in Camlorn would be directly addressed. Legion messengers had already been despatched to the garrison in Camlorn. He advised that the resources of the Imperial Legion and Navy would be deployed as needed to deal with any emerging troubles.

Once Minister Vicci felt that he'd clearly made his point of seeking to allay any festering concerns of those present, he ceded the podium and returned to his seat.

Kingsley quietly suggested that he thought that it sounded like everything was well in hand. Given what he knew, Edwyn wasn't quite so easily convinced. Of course, he kept those thoughts to himself.

If anything, Edwyn found himself feeling a little confused over what he'd heard from the Imperial Trade Minister. He wondered whether the Minister was trying to convince everyone that there was no trouble in Camlorn, or that there actually was a problem and that resources would be soon engaged in that area. He wondered if that was part of some ploy to convince certain individuals that Camlorn was the focus of interest and not some other location. He concluded that it might be best that he try not to think too much about it. He certainly had no plan to share any of that thinking with Lord Flyte, since he might have been at least one of the individuals provoking all of it.

As Edwyn was trying to dispel his troubled thoughts, Consul Carvain had moved to raising the first matter on the agenda for the morning. Whether perhaps surprisingly or otherwise, that discussion pertained to aspects of trade with Camlorn and servicing of Imperial Naval vessels at that port. Edwyn tried to focus upon the matter at hand as best as possible.

With some persistent disruption to the flow of things, the discussions proceeded, then eventually moved onto the next topic. Though Edwyn thought that it had been more or less covered in previous discussions, there were more items on the agenda pertaining to Stros M'Kai trade interests.

Of course, Edwyn understood that the Redguard island was really not so resource rich as many other places. It relied heavily upon imports for certain materials and produce, but at the same time also managed to do very well from the export of processed products like their textiles and rugs.

If was fair to say that though Stros M'Kai might conceivably be able to manage to get by on its own in a pinch, it really did rely upon shipping trade for much of the greater variety of produce. The fishing may have been bountiful about that region, but there was not a great deal of livestock maintained upon the land. Crops were also comparatively limited, both in volume and variety. A notable proportion of the arable land beyond the immediate parts of Port Hunding and Saintsport remained dedicated to growing cane for the production of island's famous Stros M'Kai Rum.

If not for the volume of regular shipping of produce from Iliac Bay on its way toward Cyrodiil and vice versa, Edwyn imagined that Stros M'Kai might find itself with a dwindling populace and those remaining would be heavily reliant upon local fishing just to get by. Of course, the continuing export of those valued commodities to other parts of the Empire, along with the strategic location of that island would ensure that no such thing would ever come to pass. Most of the tone of the discussions clearly reflected that.

Just briefly, the topic of piracy about that part of the Abecean Sea was raised once again. It was clarified that Minister Vicci would be taking up that matter with the Emperor and his advisers back in the Imperial City. As previously discussed, recommendations would be made regarding movements of the Imperial Naval vessels.

Even when called to vote upon resolutions, Edwyn found that the Stros M'Kai discussion seemed to be largely redundant, serving only reaffirm the status quo. He reasonably assumed that was the only point of it. It seemed fairly apparent that keeping Stros M'Kai on side was the main object of the exercise. Though there might have been some element of a spirit of competition with the representatives of Sentinel and Rihad, it was also clear that they viewed the interests of Stros M'Kai as in alignment with all of Hammerfell.

Just before the end of the morning session, there was discussion of the trade of various rare items. A significant proportion of the discussion seemed more weighted toward alchemical and other magical items. The standing Imperial restrictions placed upon certain types of ancient Dwemer artefacts didn't invite much discussion. However, queries over the supply of certain alchemy ingredients were raised. Some relatively more common items frequently traded between various regions were briefly mentioned. None of those things were particularly contentious.

However, the Breton woman representing Daggerfall's Mages College raised interest in the trade of Minotaur horns. More to the point, she was raising the issue of inflated value arising from the ongoing limitation of supply.

Except by authority of Imperial direction, the hunting of Minotaurs was still banned within the borders of Cyrodiil. That was due to the near extinction of the species in that region over recent decades. That restriction had remained in place for more than a decade.

Evidently, Minotaurs remained somewhat numerous just over the border in northern and eastern Elsweyr. That was where most of the available Minotaur horn was coming from.

It seemed obvious enough that the Breton Mage's inquiries were unlikely to sway the opinions of anyone present. Minister Vicci suggested that interest would be passed on to Imperial advisers and the Synod of the Imperial City's Arcane University, but declined to infer any hope for any short-term change. Added to that, it was no secret that many traders were actually pleased with the high value of those sorts of items, provided that alchemists and mages remained willing to pay the expense of importation.

Just before calling the midday recess, Consul Carvain advised that, barring the unforeseen, he anticipated that everything was on schedule and that a short session on Fredas morning would see a conclusion to the summit.

A dull murmur echoing about the room didn't really convey a response of either notable enthusiasm or disappointment. It seemed more of a tone of weary acceptance.

As she was quickly packing her documents, Lafont advised that she planned to send Dantien down to the port during the afternoon. She intended to send him there with letters to arrange for transportation from Daggerfall on either Loredas or Sundas, depending upon what was available. She suggested that she could arrange to include passage for Kingsley, Edwyn and his bodyguard. Both men readily agreed, expressing their gratitude.

Casting an eye toward the fore of the room, Edwyn observed that Lord Flyte was engaged in conversation with that woman from Daggerfall's Mages College.

Given that both Lafont and Kingsley were ready to depart fairly quickly and the sporadic crowd appeared to be moving readily through the doors, Edwyn gestured in that direction. The other two understood and agreed. They started moving off toward the exit before the opportunity diminished.

~O~


	25. Chapter 25

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 25

Turdas the 8th of Evening Star 4E71 Afternoon

Departing Castle Daggerfall's Grand Hall for the midday break, Edwyn and his Wayrest compatriots were once again joined by their bodyguards waiting outside. The group continued onward back to the southern wing of the castle and then eventually parted company in pairs at each of their respective guest suites.

After Edwyn had dashed off to the guest suite's bathroom and then returned, he soon found himself dealing with the arrival of their ordered meals at the door. After that, he waited for Yurma to check over the food and drink before they settled down at the small table. The notion of any immediate discussion initially remained subdued, in favour of eating.

Yurma waited until Edwyn had nearly finished his meal before prompting him with a question. "So, anything said about last night?"

Edwyn shook his head slightly as he finished chewing on a bite. "Well, yes and no."

Yurma's silent frown served as further prompt.

Edwyn continued. "Well, the Consul tried to stay rather tight lipped over the matter of those disturbances of last evening, but that wasn't sitting well with some. Some of the delegates staying over in the north wing wanted to hear more than his assurances that everything was in hand. From that, I gained the expression that the trouble wasn't just over this side of the castle."

"Pretty much heard the same." Yurma was still chewing on the last of her food as she responded.

Edwyn sipped at his water before going on. "Yes well, once there were some further pointed questions… concerns over Camlorn… well, Minister Vicci stepped up to speak. He tried to reinforce calm and touch upon how everything was perfectly under control."

"What? About what's going on here, or Camlorn?"

"Well, both… and more."

Yurma shook her head, frowning.

Edwyn clarified. "Well, the Minister mentioned meetings with Crown Prince Gothryd, Inspector Attius, a Legion commander… and others. He indicated that everything here in Daggerfall was properly in hand, and as soon as the summit was over… other matters in Camlorn would also be looked into."

"Camlorn?" Yurma shook her head, indicating her scepticism.

Also shaking his head, Edwyn finished his last bite. "I'm not… I'm not sure that I completely understand. Minister Vicci seemed to be making a point of insisting that the rumours of problems in Camlorn were an exaggeration. He maintained that it was all nothing more than a… a minor resurgence of rogue vampires… and that it wasn't anything related to a fresh uprising of organised clans of vampires… like during the old days."

Yurma opened her mouth, but didn't speak. It seemed she expected to hear either something more, or something different.

Edwyn shook his head again. "At the same time, he was talking about making additional Legion resources available to Camlorn. I couldn't easily decide whether he was really trying to convince everyone that there was nothing to be concerned about… or possibly suggest the exact opposite."

Yurma affected a sneer. "Reckon it sounds like something to do with Attius. Maybe trying to get out the idea that they believe the trouble here is coming from Camlorn… cos he actually knows it's about some other place… or something like that."

"Yes, you mentioned something like that before, so I considered that… but I'll readily concede that I really have no idea. In fact, I think I'd rather not know. Did… did any of the other bodyguards have anything to say… about last night?"

Yurma shrugged. "There was talk about how it had to be guards chasing down whoever was behind the attacks in the castle. Whether it really was more vampires or not… dunno. No one seemed to know any more than that. Or if they did, they weren't saying. More likely, they just don't know."

"It seems that nobody was harmed last night… or attacked."

Yurma appeared less certain of that. "Dunno. Wouldn't be a surprise if some of the guards or someone got injured… or worse. They ain't saying. Ain't saying whether they got who they were after either. Caught or killed… or whatever. We dunno."

Edwyn shook his head again. "I do hope that the threat has passed."

"Can't be all done with, since Dalric is still escorting Flyte about."

"Well, I suppose that there is something to that. Without knowing what's best, I have remained somewhat anxious of having to speak with Lord Flyte. So far, I haven't needed to. Not since yesterday."

Yurma maintained a thoughtful and serious expression. "Must be some reason that Dalric and Flyte are still going on with regular business. Either Attius must be using them to find someone else… or maybe just to get bad information back to… to whoever." She waved a hand in a dismissive fashion.

Edwyn released a heavy sigh. "I'll be glad once we're done and on our way back to Wayrest. Lafont is planning to organise passage for all of us this afternoon. With luck, we'll be sailing for home by either Loredas or Sundas."

Yurma expressed her agreement with the sentiment of Edwyn's comments, then went on to pack up dishes and trays from the meals to be left outside for collection. It was not all that long afterward that Lafont and Dantien again arrived at the door. Soon enough, they were again on their way, stopping to meet with Kingsley and Hans and then the larger group continued onward across the castle, bound for the Grand Hall.

* * *

After enduring the ongoing ritual of guarded checkpoints along the way, the group eventually arrived at the anteroom outside Castle Daggerfall's Grand Hall. Without saying anything or making it appear terribly obvious, Edwyn had prepared himself to avoid looking toward Lord Flyte's armoured bodyguard as he entered the area where all the bodyguards gathered while their respective charges attended the summit. He was just mildly surprised to learn that Sir Dalric was not actually standing there. Presumably, that meant that Lord Flyte had not yet arrived. It was only slightly unusual for him to be a little late. He was generally one of the earlier individuals to arrive, except for that morning that Inspector Attius delayed him.

As Yurma and the other two Guild Fighters shifted off to the side, Edwyn and his fellow Wayrest delegates continued onward to display their papers to the guards at the doors.

Only peripherally, Edwyn noticed that Dantien declined to take a seat with Yurma and Hans. Presumably, the Breton Guild fighter was planning on heading off toward the docks on that errand for Lafont. Given that they'd probably be inside the Grand Hall for a good three or four hours, Dantien would have plenty of time to attend the task.

Inside the Grand Hall, Edwyn observed that most of the other delegates had already arrived and taken to their seats, but for a few. Another couple of individuals came in just after them.

It was only perhaps a few short moments after Edwyn had settled into his seat, when he noticed Lord Flyte finally coming in through the doors. Since he was on his own, it was not immediately obvious what might have caused him any delay. Evidently observing that nearly everyone else was already in their proper places, the Lord of Anticlere headed directly for his seating in the second row.

The representative from Daggerfall's Mages College came in just after Lord Flyte and also made her way directly for her assigned seating. As far as Edwyn could tell, she appeared to be the last person expected to arrive.

Once it seemed that everyone was present and settled, Consul Carvain attended the podium upon the dais and called the afternoon session to order. Following the pattern of previous days, the session resumed with those remaining discussions outlined on the schedule to be attended first. Afterward, the latter portion of the afternoon had been set aside for both related and unrelated negotiations to take place at the rear section of the hall.

By Edwyn's reasonable estimate, the topics tabled for discussion really were beginning to represent the last and least engaging things of the entire summit. It seemed clear enough that interest was waning among many of those present, save for the few who actually did hold specific vested interest in those matters being raised.

In each case, Edwyn found that he was struggling to hold his attention upon the matters at hand. Of course, he wasn't the only one. Several others also appeared prone to distraction. At one point, a sharp snorting noise coming from the row where some of the Daggerfall delegates were seated drew eyes toward Andre LaBlanc. It seemed that the portly banker had again momentarily nodded off in his seat.

In due course, the remaining topics of discussion were completed and various delegates were encouraged to split off into groups to pursue negotiation or renegotiation of trade arrangements.

By Edwyn's observation, even that activity seemed to represent only more of the same. For the most part, no one was really seeking sweeping changes or looking to establish exciting new opportunities. It was really more of another exercise in shoring up the current state of affairs and seeking some assurances that future change remained gradual and somewhat predictable. If those things represented the primary expectation, then at least that was met easily enough. If one were hoping for anything remarkably different, then disappointment might well be likely.

Since Edwyn understood all of that well enough, he was neither terribly disappointed nor unexpectedly taken by surprise.

Just as Edwyn thought that he was likely finished, after speaking with his Daggerfall counterpart once more, Antonia Verus from the East Empire Trading Company came over to speak with him. She said that she just wanted to touch upon general details of grain shipments from Wayrest to Solitude.

Edwyn was aware that the East Empire Company sourced those supplies from a variety of other locations, but Wayrest remained equally important to the mix. As reasonably expected, she just wanted to be sure that current arrangements were likely to be met.

Though Edwyn hadn't expected her to suggest any different, she casually mentioned that the idea of trade shipments from the Orc region wasn't on the table at that point, but did say that she'd like to hear of it, if things changed in that circumstance over the coming seasons.

After that, Edwyn thought that they were done, but it appeared that Verus still had something else on her mind that she wanted to add.

"One of my people returned from Cyrodiil just recently. He had some… some possibly interesting things to say about the Imperial Province."

"Oh?" Edwyn didn't really know what she might be getting at.

Verus lowered her voice just slightly. "I can't say that I'm sure of what it means just yet, but there's some… some uncertainty… over the shape of produce trade about the central province."

Edwyn frowned. "Why is that?"

Verus continued. "I don't know if you've heard, but the drought across some northern parts of Cyrodiil has finally broken. It wasn't quite as serious as the long droughts of the latter Third Era, but was still causing some concern. Fortunately for some, it wasn't quite as bad over in the Colovian West. They've always been used to some drier seasons over there. Down in the south, Bravil and Leyawiin weren't directly affected at all. In fact, those southern counties managed to profit quite a bit from certain shortages."

"I wasn't really aware. My eldest sister and her husband have a small farm just outside the Imperial City… at the village of Weye."

"If they're that near to Lake Rumare, they wouldn't have fared too poorly. In fact, they might have done well from it. It was mostly Bruma and Cheydinhal taking the worst of it… and some parts of the Eastern Heartland as well. Though I did hear that both Chorrol and Skingrad were beginning to be more affected just before the turn, but not quite so badly."

"But that drought has passed?"

"Looks like it. Much heavier snowfalls during the previous winter dropped a lot over the northern Valus Mountains and over the Jeralls… and then there were also much better rains over those northern parts throughout this year. With the melt from the Jerall Mountains flooding Reman's Mirror and then the continuing rains afterward, the streams are flowing again down through County Bruma."

"Reman's Mirror?" Edwyn wasn't familiar with that name.

Verus clarified. "A mountain lake… not far from Bruma… With all the downstream erosion and landslides over the past year, the Legion needed to assist with work on parts of the Silver Road… even shifting some sections… and even had to start building a new bridge along the Red Ring Road."

Edwyn silently shook his head. Since he'd never been there, he wasn't at all familiar with what she meant.

"County Cheydinhal is doing much better again as well. For the first time in years, the Corbolo is flowing all the way from Cheydinhal down to the Niben. Of course, it's still only a mountain stream from the city… not a navigable waterway, but it's a sign that the long dry had passed. All the Eastern Heartland, from Cropsford to Cheydinhal… it's all doing much better."

Edwyn shook his head slightly. "I'm not quite following. You mentioned some uncertainty?"

"Well… it wasn't like the Imperial Province was in famine. There was enough to service the needs of the Imperial City… with the broader distribution of trade. It's still too soon to predict, but if the wetter seasons continue, there could be some unexpected changes on the horizon."

"Changes?" Edwyn prompted her.

"Well, there's a likelihood of some oversupply of certain crops. That could mean that some supply contracts might be renegotiated over coming seasons. It's still too early to say, but it's something to think about."

Edwyn nodded, but with a frown. "Minister Vicci had not mentioned any of that."

"No, I noticed that. Like I said, it's still too early to make any assumptions. Even so, there are some likely possibilities. I can see Cheydinhal looking to export more over the Valus Mountains into Morrowind. I can also see Bravil and Leyawiin looking to ship more produce southward instead of up to the Imperial City. All of that could lead to a reduced demand for certain imports… but like I said, it depends on the coming seasons… and how things play out."

Edwyn nodded again. "I'll keep that in mind."

With that, it seemed that Verus had decided that she was finished. She offered a pleasant farewell and moved off on her way.

Immediately after Verus had departed, Edwyn decided that he was finally done for the day. He casually noticed that Lord Flyte was still in negotiation with the trade delegate from Camlorn. Throughout the afternoon, without it seeming particularly obvious, he had managed to successfully avoid the Lord of Anticlere. He hadn't needed to go out of his way at all to do so. It was just the case that their paths had not intersected for any reason.

Edwyn noticed that Kingsley and Lafont were already done and waiting back at their seats in the fifth row. He headed over toward them with the intent of departing the summit room.

Since it was likely after five and both of those two were ready to go, they readily agreed to leave the Grand Hall behind and return to the southern wing of the castle.

* * *

Departing through the main doors of the Grand Hall, the three Wayrest delegates again met with their bodyguards outside in the anteroom. Evidently, Dantien had returned from his errand down to Daggerfall's Harbour Town and had successfully achieved what was expected. Responding to Lafont's casual query he said as much, patting his hand on the satchel that he carried to indicate papers inside and also adding that passage was arranged for everyone for Loredas.

Though Edwyn expected more to be said, passing conversation fell away as they made their way back along the halls and corridors of the castle. Of course, they again needed to negotiate each of the checkpoints remaining in place along the way.

Before too long, they'd made it back to Kingsley's quarters, where passing farewells were exchanged, before Kingsley and Hans headed inside. A similar exchange passed as Edwyn and Yurma arrived at his guest suite and Lafont and Dantien continued onward.

Once they were inside, Yurma waited for Edward to go visit the bathroom, before heading back there herself. As soon as she'd returned to the sitting room area, she affected an expectant expression.

"So then… out of here some time on Loredas."

Edwyn returned a neutral glance. "Yes, so it seems."

Yurma affected a grimace. "Just need to get through two more nights without any trouble. Then… hopefully there's no trouble on the voyage home."

Edwyn frowned. "Are you expecting some sort of trouble?"

Yurma shrugged. "Wasn't expecting any real trouble when we first headed here from Wayrest. Neither was you. But there's been plenty of it going around… most of it, just near enough to keep things on edge. And then, only just far enough off that I never needed to get to any actual fighting." She finished with a breathy sigh.

From her tone, Edwyn wasn't quite certain whether she was glad that direct threats remained at bay, or whether she was somewhat disappointed. He released a sigh of his own. "I had expected that the summit would have been a… a rather tedious affair, for the most part. I hardly expected anything more than a few arguments over trade deals and the like. Certainly nothing of the kind…" His words trailed off.

After setting down her main weapon and shield, Yurma settled onto a sofa. "Yeah well, if things can stay 'rather tedious' til we're outa here and on the water, that'll suit me fine."

Edwyn nodded absently, taking a chair at the small table. "Before we arrived here, I had thought I that might have looked forward to taking a proper look about Daggerfall while we were here."

"You said that the stuff in the Grand Hall would be done by tomorrow morning… if that's what you want…"

Edwyn shook his head. "No, no. As much as I've wearied of feeling trapped within the walls of this castle, I think it best to just stay put. At least until it's time to head down to the port on Loredas."

Yurma shrugged. "Fine by me."

Edwyn's expression indicated that something else was on his mind. A knock at the door interrupted before he had opportunity to give voice to whatever he'd been thinking. He initially remained seated at the table as Yurma rose to attend the door.

A member of the castle staff was passing by, taking orders for the delivery of evening meals. Once Edwyn had attended the task of placing their orders, he returned to sit down at the table again. After locking the door, Yurma returned to the sofa.

After a quiet moment, Edwyn asked Yurma whether Dantien had advised her of anything regarding what he'd arranged at the port on Lafont's behalf.

Yurma shrugged. "Not exactly. Said that transport was arranged for the four of us… and cargo… to head out on Loredas."

Without passing comment, Edwyn thought that 'cargo' might have meant Copperton's body. "Dantien didn't say when we set sail?"

"Didn't get to that. Got sidetracked when Hans interrupted with something. Don't remember what, but he never got back to mentioning any details about the arrangements."

Edwyn nodded slightly. "I expect that Lafont will ensure that we are properly informed well ahead of time."

"Figured… figured that…" Yurma's attention was drawn toward another knock at the door.

It certainly seemed far too quick for the evening meal orders to be arriving just yet and Yurma's expression carried a measure of reserved suspicion. Once she'd unlocked the door, they learned it was just a Breton lad of the castle staff coming to check on the water, oil lamps and other amenities.

They waited quietly as the lad went about his task, and then Yurma locked the door behind him once he was done and on his way. As they were again waiting about in the sitting room area, Yurma prompted Edwyn over whether anything of interest had passed inside the Grand Hall during the afternoon. He'd firstly responded with relaying the tedious nature of what remained on the schedule. After that, he'd thought to speak of what Antonia Verus had shared with him regarding certain parts of Cyrodiil.

That conversation was eventually interrupted when another knock at the door signalled the arrival of the ordered meals. Once they'd taken possession of their food and drink and Yurma had thoroughly checked it over, they settled down at the table to eat.

Toward the end of the meal, Yurma posed a couple of questions about what had been said about Cyrodiil. Of course, she'd never been over there either. What she knew of that region only came from books and from things that her uncle had told her.

After swallowing a bite, Edwyn responded. "I understood that parts of the Colovian west sometimes suffered dry seasons, but I didn't even know about drought affecting the north and east."

Yurma shrugged. "Happens like that everywhere, I expect. We sometimes get bad dry spells up around old Orsinium area… and at the same time, it's nothing like that down around Menevia and Wayrest."

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Over in Cyrodiil… they got like nine big counties, don't they?"

Edwyn nodded as he finished another bite. "Er… ah… eight counties, I think… and the central Imperial region. I do believe that each one of those areas are individually larger than that administered by rule of Wayrest. Though, I couldn't speak to how much of each region remains as wilderness and what portion is populated and developed."

Yurma wrinkled her nose. "Point is, I figure that if only one or two areas have bad seasons, all the others make up for up for it. Plus the fact that the Empire imports a lot of stuff."

Edwyn nodded again. "Well yes, up to a point. The Imperial City does import a great deal of produce, from nearby, as well as from further afield."

"And a lot of stuff comes from around here?"

"Well, some. Grains and tea, of course. And certain wines and cheeses. As for those more perishable goods… well, only those things that can survive a good week or more of frosted transport in cargo vessels."

"Has the trade of all of that stuff been up over past seasons?"

Reaching for his glass, Edwyn frowned. "No, not notably."

"Then that northern drought can't have been all that bad, or else… like I said, there musta just been enough to go around across the spread of that area."

Edwyn nodded as he chewed upon the last of his meal. "Yes, I suppose so. As I think I mentioned before, my sister and her husband… they have a small farm at the village just outside the Imperial City. In previous years, I think they've made passing mention of dry spells followed by rainy seasons. As well as warmer seasons and some cooler seasons. What seems like usual fluctuations. From what I recall, the last correspondence implied that everything was well. So, I suppose that the drought in the north must have been fairly isolated… and not such a problem for the rest of the Imperial Province."

Yurma had finished her food and nearly finished her drink. "So what was that Verus trying to say then?"

After taking a sip, Edwyn shook his head slightly. "Well, I'm not completely certain of what she was trying to say, or that she fully knows herself. Only that she suspects that some sort of change might be ahead and that it's too soon to predict what that might be. Also that it was notable, that throughout the week, Minister Vicci had made no mention at all of any of it."

"Yeah well, you gotta figure that… that…" Yurma's words were interrupted by yet another knock at the door.

Edwyn affected a frown as he looked toward the door. Given that each of the reasonably anticipated interruptions had already passed, he couldn't easily guess at who might there that time.

Yurma rose and looked to unlocking the door. She found that it was one of the castle guards standing outside in the corridor. The guard was a younger Breton lad, not someone immediately recognisable.

The guard tried to maintain a neutral expression as he found himself facing an armoured female Orc in the doorway. "Delivery for Edwyn Northwind and bodyguard… from the office of Imperial Consul Carvain."

Yurma looked to the tied off bundle of parchments the guard was holding. The slightly bulging satchel hanging from his shoulder seemed that it possibly contained other bundles.

Edwyn called out as he rose from his seat. "What is it?"

The Breton guard appeared slightly uncomfortable. "A… a delivery of papers. I couldn't say what it's about. My task is only to deliver… to your hands."

Yurma stepped aside as Edwyn arrived at the door. He took possession of the parchments with a curious expression.

It seemed obvious enough that the guard was only a junior in rank. "I'd… I'd expect that the papers would explain."

Edwyn returned a nod. "Yes, I expect so. Thank you."

Recognising the dismissal, the guard took his leave. Yurma closed and locked the door as Edwyn examined the bundle of papers. It seemed clear enough that nothing on the outside of the bundle provided any indication of what Carvain had sent.

Yurma prompted him. "So, what is it?"

"No idea." Edwyn untied the string binding the parchments.

He then found that he held three folded parchments. One was thinner than the other two seemingly identical papers. He unfolded the lesser document and examined what it said.

"So?" Yurma remained impatient.

"Yes well, it ah… it says that… that we are expected to read and sign the attached documents provided… and ah…" He trailed off as he sat down and continued reading.

Yurma released an irritable sigh, waiting for Edwyn to make proper sense.

Shaking his head, Edwyn quickly unfolded the other two parchments, glancing only briefly at what was on them. "Here, perhaps you should see for yourself." Edwyn handed over one of the parchments.

Yurma took the paper and scanned it, with a frown on her face. Only a short moment passed before she commented. "Seen this before."

"You've seen this before?"

"Same sorta thing. Pretty much the same as any standard Penitus Oculatus agreement. Same as when they contract Fighters Guild on jobs for them."

"Contract? Fighters Guild?"

"Yeah… same sorta thing." She read out and paraphrased certain parts of the document. "Swear by contracted agreement with the Penitus Oculatus… so on and so on… not to speak of details of direct or indirect dealings with agents of… and so on… goes on about the penalties. Basically says, don't say anything about what you know about in relation to any dealings with the Penitus Oculatus… or else."

"I thought you said that you hadn't needed to deal with the Penitus Oculatus."

"Not directly. Usually, Guildhead Wickfield deals with them, but I've seen the contracts… and done a couple of jobs. Only thing different about this is… is we ain't getting paid to do a contracted job. Just have to agree to keep our mouths shut."

Edwyn shook his head. "But… but we don't really know anything… do we?"

"Not much. Either way, they want us to agree that we don't say anything anyway."

Edwyn returned to reading the document in his hand. He didn't look up or speak again until reaching the end of it. He then noticed that Yurma had disappeared behind him. As he'd been reading, she'd moved over to the writing desk and had already finished putting quill and ink to paper.

Edwyn was shaking his head again. "So, does this mean that… that all the threats are over… for us, I mean?"

Yurma shrugged as she handed over her signed parchment. "Wouldn't say that. I'd s'pose this is just what it looks like. Official warning… to keep quiet. If trouble don't come looking for us, I figure the rest of it won't be our problem."

As he got up to go looking to signing the document, Edwyn still wasn't settled over whether he should feel either more or less concerned over the circumstances. He hoped that the evening might pass without any further threat of calamity, remaining fully aware that his hopes could no have no influence over anything that came to pass.

~O~


	26. Chapter 26

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 26

Fredas the 9th of Evening Star 4E71 Morning

Edwyn Northwind awoke and opened his eyes partly. He had little idea of what time it might be, only that he was feeling as though he'd had a good night's rest. Recalling exactly where he was, he was just slightly surprised that nothing had interrupted his sleep. As his vision came into proper focus, he could see some light coming from the direction of the guest suite's sitting room. Turning his head, he also noted the dim light cast from the bathroom area. Those things indicated that Yurma was most likely already up and about. Since she'd apparently not made any obvious effort to wake him, he assumed it must still be relatively early. He also assumed that further supported his notion that nothing had caused any alarm or concern during the hours of darkness.

Sliding out from beneath the covers, Edwyn stood and peered over the screen separating his sleeping area from the sitting room. As expected, he observed that Yurma was sitting on a sofa with a book in her hands. That served as confirmation that all seemed well.

As he padded his way toward the bathroom, he noticed that it seemed to be another cool morning. Due to the flame burning below the small boiler, it was just a little warmer inside that bathroom. Even so, it remained cool enough to encourage him not to dally too much as he went about his business.

He'd just about become adjusted to the temperature as he was shaving. Of course, it didn't pay to try to be too hasty with the razor. Even so, he was in more of a mood to settle upon 'near enough', rather than aiming for the cleanest shave possible.

After swilling mouthwash potion and checking that his teeth seemed cleaned, he noted that there wasn't too much of it left. In passing, he thought that he should have perhaps brought more with him. That led to the thought that he likely wouldn't have remembered to bring any at all, if Francine hadn't prompted him.

Finishing with the bathroom, Edwyn dressed for the day and joined his bodyguard in the sitting room area. He noticed that she was already dressed in her armour. He presumed that choice was only prompted by the chill on the air. She was evidently still not moved to go setting a fire burning in the small brazier. Morning greetings were briefly exchanged.

"So, it seems that it was a quiet evening." Edwyn's words were mostly statement, but also served as invitation.

Yurma shrugged mildly. "Yeah, pretty much. Some guards going by now and then, but nothing like the ruckus of other nights."

"So, hopefully… there'll be no more trouble. At least, until we're on our way back home."

"Don't hurt to hope, but as far as I'm concerned… it ain't over, til it's over."

Reacting to her pragmatic pessimism, Edwyn shook his head mildly as he poured some water into a glass. "Well, it's not too long now. After this morning's summit session, all of that business should be done with. If nothing troubles us before we depart tomorrow…" His words trailed off, since the meaning was clear enough. He took a long sip of water.

After a moment, Edwyn wondered aloud whether Kingsley and Lafont had also been sent Penitus Oculatus documents to sign.

Yurma didn't claim to know to either way, but suggested that he probably shouldn't say anything about it. She also suggested that he should put those signed documents away out of sight until they were returned to Consul Carvain.

Another brief and relatively inconsequential conversation passed regarding the nature of those Penitus Oculatus secrecy agreements. Despite Edwyn's cautious curiosity, Yurma felt that it had all been sufficiently discussed the previous evening.

It was not too long before a castle staff attendant had arrived at their door with one of the morning meal carts making its way down their corridor. Once Edwyn had gained some idea of the time and acquired suitable repasts for his bodyguard and himself, the door of the guest suite was again locked. Edwyn waited for Yurma to check over the food and tea and they then settled down to eat.

Avoiding any other topics of past or current concern, conversation remained light and sporadic. Edwyn hadn't been interested in speaking of anything that might be discussed during the final session of the summit. He expected that it would likely be painfully tedious. He had instead openly wondered what the weather might be like outside, but was quick to mention that he still held no intention to leave the castle until they were ready to depart Daggerfall the next day. Yurma was only hoping that the weather would be fairly mild, especially during the voyage back to Wayrest.

It wasn't so very long before things were tidied up after the morning meal and Lafont and Dantien had once again arrived at their door. Only a short delay passed before Edwyn was ready to leave with them.

Moments later, they were all arriving at the door to Kingsley's guest quarters. Though Hans was ready, a short delay passed as they waited for Kingsley.

Lafont took the opportunity to advise of the arrangements made for the departure on Loredas and to hand out documents of passage. They needed to be down at the Harbour Town docks by eleven to board the Stormhaven Breeze, scheduled to set sail just after midday. Since the vessel was sailing directly for Wayrest, she anticipated that they'd likely make port sometime on Sundas evening.

It represented agreeable news for those heading back to Wayrest. As far as Hans and Dantien were concerned, it only meant that their current contracts would be concluded by noon of the next day. Hans was already speaking of his plans to visit a specific tavern in town Loredas evening. Dantien seemed less enthusiastic, suggesting that his wife would most likely be expecting him home, if his work were done.

Since neither Lafont or Kingsley made any mention of it, or anything similar, Edwyn said nothing of the Penitus Oculatus papers that had been delivered for signing.

Before too long, the group was departing Kingsley's quarters and headed back along the now familiar path toward the central part of Castle Daggerfall.

* * *

Along the way to the Grand Hall, the various posted guards and checkpoints appeared much the same as previous days. Whether any specific lurking threat remained or otherwise could not be easily determined. Edwyn didn't actually know if the true threats were still at large, or if Attius and the castle guards had already dealt with them. Without speaking of it, he suspected that the ongoing heavy guard presence might really be more for show than necessity. Even so, he wasn't completely ready to believe that every possibility of danger had passed.

Noticing only a couple local Daggerfall delegates near the main entryway as they passed by, the group soon arrived at the anteroom outside the Grand Hall, where the three Wayrest delegates would be parting company with their respective bodyguards.

Though he hadn't thought that they were particularly early, Edwyn thought that there seemed fewer bodyguards along the bench seats than on previous mornings. In particular, he'd easily noticed that Sir Dalric was not yet present and standing by himself apart from others.

After presenting their papers to the guards at the main doors, they proceeded into the Grand Hall. Just like each day before, an enthusiastic attendant intercepted them to direct them to where they already knew that they needed to go.

Observing Consul Carvain speaking with Trade Minister Vicci near the dais by the Cherim tapestry on the wall, Edwyn excused himself to head off in that direction. He remained casual as he exchanged greetings with both men. Without making much of it, Edwyn handed over the signed documents that had been retied into a bundle.

Evidently understanding, Carvain nodded mildly. "Ah yes, those papers that I requested. Thank you for your promptness."

Whether Vicci knew what it was about was not evident. He didn't appear at all interested. He seemed more interested in a subdued conversation between Crown Prince Gothryd and his sister. Though neither could be heard from where they were standing, their expressions indicated some tension between them.

Without becoming entangled in further conversation, Edwyn politely excused himself and headed for where his compatriots had taken their seats in the fifth row back from the front.

As Edwyn neared his seat, he could hear Kingsley grumbling to Lafont about something listed on the morning schedule. Lafont's response suggested that it was just more fluff and wouldn't be anything.

Edwyn was wondering what they were talking about, but Kingsley seemed to have already set it aside as he looked to Edwyn.

"What was that about?" Kingsley glanced toward the Consul and the Minister.

"Ah… nothing of consequence. Just some papers the Consul wanted to see." Edwyn interpreted the banker's ignorance as possible confirmation that neither Kingsley nor Lafont had been asked to sign similar documents.

Kingsley didn't seem inclined to pry any further, assuming that it was likely none of his business. Holding up the schedule again, he released a huffy sigh. "This looks near to pointless, by my estimate. I can see why the room does not appear quite so crowded this morning."

Kingsley's comment prompted Edwyn to look around again as he was taking his seat.

Lafont expressed her agreement. "Yeah, it's starting to look like not everyone is planning to be here this morning. A couple of the Daggerfall delegates are missing and it looks like that Sentinel Minister has sent his aide to sit in for him. Lord Flyte's not here yet either."

"Does seem to be fewer people." Edwyn responded in a distracted manner to Lafont's words. He could see that both the Countess Menevia and the Duke of Alcaire were present in the second row, but there was no sign of Lord Flyte and it had to be very near to ten by then.

Another staff attendant soon came by, taking orders for midday meals if required. Edwyn hadn't needed to consider his intent to take advantage of provided meals. However, he noted that Kingsley had looked to Lafont before deciding to go ahead and place orders. Her responding nod seemed to be an influencing factor.

Kingsley volunteered enlightenment. "Lafont and I are intending to go down to the town during the afternoon. Business to attend. Transfer of funds to Daggerfall's Fighter Guild and the like. Of course, you're welcome to join us."

Edwyn smiled, but shook his head slightly. "Thank you for the invitation, but I plan to keep to my guest suite until it's time to head off tomorrow."

"Looks like Carvain's about to start up." Lafont directed attention toward the fore of the room.

As the Consul was trying to call the room to order for the final morning session, Edwyn noticed that were still a few vacant seats. It didn't seem quite so surprising for some to be missing, like the local Mages College representative for one. However, certain others were far more notable for their absence. He was perhaps most surprised that Lord Flyte was nowhere to be seen. Given what else he knew, he wasn't quite sure what to think of it.

* * *

By the time that noon was approaching, perhaps like many others, Edwyn was feeling glad that things were finally drawing to a close. The topics of the morning had seemed barely worth addressing and much of it proved just as tedious as anticipated. It seemed likely that most delegates were ready to quickly vote upon whichever resolutions were raised, merely to have the matters put behind them. Since none of those things represented anything of changing consequence, it hardly mattered either way.

For the closure of summit, Consul Carvain stepped back, offering the podium to Trade Minister Vicci, then Crown Prince Gothryd. The closing remarks of each remained mercifully brief. Though they actually tried to make it sound otherwise, it seemed evident that even Vicci and Gothryd had also had just about enough of the whole thing and were glad to have arrived at the end.

With the trade summit concluded, many of the delegates moved toward making their way out of the Grand Hall. Just a few lingered here and there to speak with others. As soon as the opportunity emerged for easy exit, Kingsley, Northwind and Lafont also headed for the main doors and rejoined their respective bodyguards in the anteroom.

Conversation remained light and sporadic as they made their way back across the castle to the southern wing. An invitation was again extended for Edwyn to join Kingsley and Lafont when they headed down to the town centre during the afternoon. He chose to again politely decline, intending to have a quiet afternoon and evening ahead of the following day's journey. Passing farewells were exchanged as the group broke apart into its familiar components at each door.

After a short time back in the guest suite, Yurma raised her observation that Sir Dalric had not appeared at all that morning. Edwyn confirmed that Lord Flyte had not made an appearance in the Grand Hall either. He did add that he'd observed that a few others had not attended the final session, but Lord Flyte's absence seemed more conspicuous. Of course, Yurma suggested that it was most likely something to do with the Penitus Oculatus. Edwyn found it easy enough to agree, but he took no pleasure from the notion.

That brief conversation had been interrupted by a knock at their door. The arrival of the delivery of midday meals came as no surprise. Once all of that was attended and Yurma had checked over the food and drink, they settled down at the table.

Toward the end of the meal, Yurma prompted Edwyn with regard to the ending of the trade summit. He demonstrated a diminished enthusiasm for speaking of that final session, suggesting that it had been largely of little value. He suggested that it almost seemed as though it only proceeded in order to provide opportunity for the Consul, the Trade Minister and the Crown Prince to congratulate one another at the conclusion. Yet each of them still managed to appear perhaps more weary than satisfied by Edwyn's estimate.

Trying not to sound too pessimistic, Edwyn diverged to speak of some other things discussed during the summit that he thought represented more substance.

Finishing her meal, Yurma shook her head. "I'm getting the idea that nothing much changed… except for maybe some talk about trying to deal with pirates in some areas… and what you told me about the idea of some farm trade with the Orc region of Wayrest."

"Well, I suppose it's perfectly fair to suggest that not much really has changed. At least, not in any meaningful fashion. One could easily say that there remains some… some measure of resistance to change. At least, to any sort of swift or disruptive change."

Yurma shook her head again. "So… what's the point of it all then?"

Edwyn sighed. "Well, I suppose that it really is more about just maintaining strong trade relations. Providing the appearance of intent of cooperation. Old rivalries remain not far beneath the surface. Even so, the appearance of cooperation at least feeds the notion that the many centres of this part of the Empire are still working in favour of the greater whole."

Yurma's expression clearly indicated her scepticism.

Edwyn continued. "Emperor Attrebus would know well enough of the history of past troubles across this greater western region… on both sides of the bay. I'm certain that he wants the remaining Provinces of the Empire… and each of the regional powers… well, for everyone to remain peaceful and cooperative… at least as much as such a thing is possible. I'd imagine that he views a state of peace… through reliance upon trade… to be the best way to achieve that outcome… in the interests of the Empire."

Yurma shrugged. "Yeah, I s'pose. You'd think that the Aldmeri Dominion would be enough to make everybody pull together. After Black Marsh breaking away and Elsweyr pretty much falling apart, you'd think that the Summerset Isles and Valenwood doing things the way they do… you'd think that would be enough of a warning."

"Well, I can't argue with that at all."

Yurma seemed about to add something else, but another knock at the door interrupted that thought. Edwyn remained seated as she attended the door. A younger male Breton servant had arrived to check on the usual things in the guest suite. He only needed to top up the drinking water, as well as the oil in a couple of the lamps. Since he was right there, and Yurma had already tidied the aftermath of their meals onto the trays, he also collected that for return to the kitchens.

As soon as the Breton lad was done, Yurma followed him to the door and held it open as he returned various items to his cart. Once he was gone, she locked the door behind him and stepped back half a step.

Before she had fully turned about to look toward Edwyn, she observed the air to one side of the door rippling and shimmering like a heat mirage over hot stone during the height of summer. The visual distortion quickly resolved to reveal a tall figure in a dark cloak.

Yurma's postured stiffened. She'd appeared ready to spring into action, but found herself unable to move.

"No call for concern. It is only myself." Agent Darkwater pulled back his hood. He appeared to study the Orcish woman for a prolonged moment, then made a small gesture with his hand.

Yurma then found that she'd been released from the unseen force holding her immobile. She scowled, but otherwise remained quiet.

Though he'd not been immobilised like his bodyguard, Edwyn hadn't shifted from his seat. He appeared outwardly nervous. "Why… why are you here? Is there… is there some sort of urgent trouble?"

The tall Altmer raised his eyebrows slightly. "No, not as such. Not as far as anything that should cause you further concern." He paused just briefly. "Though I expect that Attius may not approve, I find myself moved to speak to you, before taking my leave of this place."

"Speak to me… or us? Why?" Rising from his seat, Edwyn glanced to Yurma with uncertainty.

Yurma remained silent, standing off to one side and observing Darkwater with obvious suspicion.

Looking to Edwyn, Agent Darkwater responded. "Well in part, I suppose that it arises from passing consideration of a… a convergence of curious coincidence."

Edwyn shook his head. "I don't understand."

"As I mentioned during our previous encounter, I had… dealings… with your sister, some years past. When she still served with Cyrodiil's Fighters Guild… under the direction of your uncle." He looked to Yurma as he spoke the last past.

Yurma glared back. She remained highly suspicious of the Altmer, doubting his identity, motivations and loyalties. "Who are you really? You somehow connected with the Aldmeri Dominion or something?"

Darkwater returned a curious expression. "That would be extraordinarily clever, given my ongoing service to the Emperor's agents. So no, I have no connection with the Aldmeri Dominion. I choose to align myself with the interests of the Empire… or moreover the continuing interests of its citizens."

"But you ain't a regular Altmer, are you?"

"If I were 'a regular Altmer', I might hardly be quite so effective in my service."

Observing the tension in his bodyguard's posture, Edwyn remained quiet. With one hand upon the back of his chair, he hadn't strayed from where he'd been sitting, keeping the small table between himself and Darkwater.

Keeping her gaze focussed upon the tall Altmer, Yurma spoke again. "Reckon that Attius brought you here for a reason. Ain't just cos you're some sorta mage… but also cos you're some sorta vampire hunter."

Darkwater inclined his head slightly. "As you say."

"But that ain't all of it."

"No, not the whole of it."

Yurma continued to glare.

So far, Darkwater seemingly offered no outward reaction to the hostile demeanour of the Orcish Guild Fighter.

Edwyn decided to speak up. "My bodyguard… she thought that you might be… might possibly be… well…" He remained reluctant to complete the words.

Evidently, Darkwater understood exactly. "The assumption is correct."

"You… you… you ARE a vampire?" Edwyn took half a step backward.

Darkwater returned a silent nod.

"Knew I wasn't imagining things." Yurma maintained an outwardly tense posture, but seemed to be avoiding making any provocative movement.

Darkwater appeared unmoved. "Well yes, while that is true, I hold no affinity at all for those of my kind. In fact, I have chosen to make an active effort to keep those others from plaguing the mortal citizens of the Empire."

Edwyn took little ease from the words. "But, you're a vampire?"

Darkwater inclined his head slightly. "A vampire Ancient… of a mostly forgotten bloodline. The last of my specific line, if I'm not mistaken."

With hardened stare, Yurma spoke again. "You become a vampire on purpose?"

The question prompted Darkwater to affect a mildly surprised expression. "Oh, no. It was certainly not at all of my own choosing. Long before your time, I was taken from my home and my family and made a vampire. Pressed into service… to fight in the struggles between rival vampire clans. All of that is long passed, along with most of those I stood both with and against."

His strange accent prompted her next question. "But you ain't from around here?"

"Well no. Not to begin with. I was originally born on the Summerset Isle, a long time past. However, I have not been back to my homeland since… well, not since before the uprising of the current regime. Those Thalmor houses." His tone carried a measure of distaste.

Edwyn affected a thoughtful expression. "So… so, you do not approve… of the Aldmeri Dominion?"

"Well, no… not as such. In truth, not at all. The passage of time has… has greatly informed my perspective." Darkwater paused before continuing. "As you might imagine, I was brought up to believe that the Altmer were superior to all others upon the world. That included any other races derived from the Aldmer ancestors. Of course, all varieties of humans were to be viewed as inherently inferior. I was told that Khajiit and Argonians were mere beasts and that the Orsimer were but barbarians, little more than beasts." He paused again, glancing toward Yurma. "Though perhaps some may choose to live as such, I have come to believe that Orcs are as far from the beasts as any of us are from the gods. From my observation, with perhaps the exception of the Khajiit and Argonians, it seems clear to me that the differences between most of our races are not nearly so great as some might like to believe." He shifted his gaze toward Edwyn. "The mere fact that men and mer can produce offspring certainly stands as clear evidence. That alone demonstrates that the Divines were certainly far more clever than mortals of any stripe."

Yurma shook her head. "I still don't get why you're here… right now. All that noise, night before last, was that all about… about the vampires in the castle?"

Darkwater inclined his head. "It was. Each of them have been dealt with."

"The other… the vampires?" Edwyn sought confirmation.

"Yes. The group of vampires involved in the activity of seeking to disrupt the proceedings within the castle… no longer pose any threat." With a momentary pause, he shook his head very slightly. "The guards participating in driving the hunt were perhaps somewhat overzealous. Fortunately, I was able to intercept and subdue one of the vampires before the guards managed to destroy him. Information gained, enabled me to locate those others below."

Edwyn frowned. "Below?"

"Yes, I'd already determined how they had been gaining entry to the castle. A long forgotten point of access to the sewer system, via an old storage room back in the rear of the castle. However, I did need more information to be certain of the precise whereabouts of those of the larger group. After acquiring pertinent details, I was able to track those others down below, along with another lurking in the city. Each of them have been since eliminated."

Yurma remained sceptical. "All of them?"

"Well, all of those currently within Daggerfall."

"The vampires?" Edwyn prompted him.

"Along with a couple of ruffians enthralled to their service. All of those vampires belonged to a particular offshoot of the Lyrezi bloodline. Another line consisting of only former Altmer of pure heritage. I had thought the Ancient responsible for that particular line long gone. However, I may have been misinformed."

Edwyn shook his head. "But… but what about Lord Flyte and Sir Dalric?"

The Ancient vampire inclined his head again. "As I suggested previously, Dalric was compromised. He has been enthralled to one of those Lyrezi vampires for some time, but remains mortal. Even so, I could not say that he would ever regain his full capacity for independent will. I even suspect that he may have become a willing participant, at some earlier point. I expect that Attius will need to properly deal with him."

Presuming he understood what was meant, Edwyn winced. "And Lord Flyte?"

"Well, that remains to be determined. Lord Flyte was seemingly a less willing participant. In fact, it seems that he remained defiant to attempts of lasting enthrallment. That was why Dalric was tasked to watch over him and ensure that he did not stray far from the charm keeping him bound."

"Charm?" Edwyn sounded curious.

Darkwater tapped the ornate metal clasp that he wore upon his cloak. "Flyte was kept in check by the enchanted item he wore. As I understand it, it kept his mind somewhat clouded and compliant… at least as far as his loyalties were concerned… and it also maintained some measure of limited communication with the vampire serving as his keeper."

Edwyn's concern came through in his tone. "What will happen to him?"

"Attius intends to see to it that healers aid in his proper recovery. It would not do for the Lord of Anticlere to lose his position. Not if it can be at all avoided."

"So, Lord Flyte is… is likely to recover?"

"I should think that it remains hopeful."

Edwyn narrowed his eyes. "But you… you and Attius knew about much of that for several days, didn't you?"

"Well, yes… for the most part… since I firstly attempted to examine him and his bodyguard. Proper examination was not possible. Not without directly alerting those vampires to my presence. Since those two appeared a primary source of information being exchanged with those disruptors, it remained prudent to ensure that misinformation was passed on before removing Flyte and Dalric from active circulation."

Edwyn shook his head again.

Yurma interjected. "All that horse-shit about Camlorn."

The Ancient tilted his head to one side. "That is more the province of Attius and his associates. As I understand matters, the lie is more of a tactical exaggeration. There truly is some rumour of someone associated with Camlorn's nobility expressing dissatisfaction with Gothryd's position in Daggerfall, as well as that of his younger brother's role as the new leader of Camlorn. Added to that, reports do indicate the presence of rogue vampires in the vicinity of Camlorn, though nothing of dire significance."

"But them vampires you put down were from somewhere else, I reckon."

"As you say."

"From the Aldmeri Dominion?" Yurma pressed for confirmation.

Darkwater appeared to hesitate briefly. "Not directly. I understand that the vampires were persuaded by certain individuals… individuals associated with those influenced by agents of the Aldmeri Dominion."

Yurma shook her head, clearly not following.

Darkwater glanced between Edwyn and Yurma, seemingly considering his next words. "It is my understanding… that someone of the Direnni clan of Balfiera has become compromised via those Lyrezi vampires… of that specific clan. Added to that, agents of the Thalmor regime have further persuaded certain individuals of the Direnni of the value of siding with their interests."

Edwyn affected a wide-eyed expression. "The Direnni? Should we be concerned about that? Wayrest still does some trade with Balfiera. Should we be…?"

The Ancient shook his head slightly. "I would suggest that you do nothing other than what you would normally do. Threats lurking amongst the Direnni will be dealt with."

Edwyn was shaking his head. "But the Direnni wines…"

Darkwater cut him off. "I recommend that you continue trade as normal and say nothing. I imagine that it would certainly be preferable to lure them away from any further involvement with the Aldmeri Dominion via ongoing commerce. Once any conspirators are removed, that should become even less of a concern."

Yurma spoke up again. "Why are telling us all this?"

Darkwater shrugged just slightly. "As I understand, Attius has had you agree to one of his… declarations of secrecy. Added to that, I have seen inside both your minds. I hold certainty of your typically honourable natures."

Edwyn opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before responding. "But… but surely you didn't need to tell us anything."

"No, I did not… and you have not been told everything. However, I did want to speak to you."

Edwyn silently shook his head, indicating his lack of understanding.

The Ancient appeared to take a moment to compose himself. "In some fashion, it would seem that the unseen threads of fate wind through everything and everyone upon the world… in ways that none might easily predict or oftentimes recognise." He paused, shifting his stance slightly. "Without betraying specific detail of course, I would appreciate it you find a way to inform your older sister of certain things. Let her know that the words and actions of herself and her comrades many years ago… indirectly served to alter the path of an 'ancient acquaintance'. Again without contentious detail, let her know that he now serves the Empire and its citizens, striving to diminish the threat that others might suffer a similar fate."

Edwyn nodded slowly. "I think… I think I understand what you mean."

Darkwater inclined his head in acceptance.

Frowning, Yurma shook her head. "That's it?"

The Ancient turned toward her. "I have nothing to ask of you directly. I would anticipate that you might discuss certain concerns with your uncle. However, I would also expect that you would remain somewhat vague with specific details. I claim no insight with regard to the future, but I expect that things that have transpired here will undoubtedly serve to affect and shape your own future. Though of course, I wouldn't presume to predict precisely how."

Yurma responded only with a grunt and a curt nod.

Darkwater adjusted his posture again. He looked toward the door, then turned back to look to Edwyn and Yurma in turn. "I have said my piece… and perhaps more. I should take my leave."

Edwyn returned a silent nod.

Yurma took a step back toward the door with her key in hand.

"A moment. I do not wish to be seen." Darkwater looked toward the wall as though as he could see through it into the corridor on the other side. After a moment of prolonged silence, he nodded. "As you will."

Yurma shook her head mildly as she unlocked the door. As she moved to pull the door open, the Ancient vampire pulled up his hood, then stood still. A magical shimmering effect appeared to wash over his form. Then he quickly faded from view, as cloaking magic rendered him invisible to the eye. Yurma held the door long enough to allow for him pass, then closed it and locked it again.

~O~


	27. Chapter 27

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 27

Fredas the 9th of Evening Star 4E71 Afternoon

Once Agent Darkwater had departed the guest suite, Edwyn released a long and breathy sigh. He pulled the chair back and then sat back down at the small table in the sitting room area.

Yurma remained standing for a short moment longer, casting a dark gaze toward the locked door. She glanced toward the table just briefly, then chose to go sit down upon the sofa, nearer to where she kept her shield and weapons.

Noting that his mouth was dry, Edwyn poured out another glass of water. After taking a small sip, he passed comment. "Well, perhaps that represents an end to the… to the dangers and concerns. At least, for us… I should think."

From her position on the sofa, instead of looking back to Edwyn, Yurma just stared at her boots with a blank expression. "Yeah, maybe… probably. Sounds like it."

Another moment of silence passed before Edwyn spoke again. "Agent Darkwater… even if he's a vampire… or vampire Ancient… I suppose that it's certainly better that he serves the Empire… or its citizens… as he claims."

Briefly looking back toward him, Yurma shrugged and shook her head at the same time. "Yeah well, dunno how much he really is on our side, but I wouldn't want someone like that against us. Pretty sure I couldn't take him, if I had to. Maybe, if I was with others… and he was busy with them… and didn't know I was coming." She shook her head again.

Without saying anything, Edwyn returned a concerned expression.

Yurma responded to the silence with a sigh. "Hate dealing with rogue mages… and vampires… vampire mages have gotta be even worse."

Edwyn frowned, uncertain whether she was specifically referring to Darkwater or to those other vampires. "Well surely, that's not any sort of immediate concern. Not now."

"Not today. Not if what he told us is right."

"Why? Do you think…?"

"Dunno what I think." Maintaining her frown, Yurma shook her head again. "Sounds like they got all the vampires around here… the ones they needed to get anyways… and sounds like they're going after the other ones that sent 'em here."

With his mouth half-open, Edwyn shook his head a little. "Well, isn't that… isn't that a good thing?"

"Yeah, probably. Gotta wonder though."

"Wonder… about what?"

"Lot'sa things. Organised vampire clans coming back to parts of High Rock. Vampire clans with only Altmer types. The Direnni on Balfiera. Aldmeri Dominion… trying to do whatever it is they're trying to do. Cause trouble for the Empire… or whatever. And on top of all that, a vampire Ancient working with the Penitus Oculatus. Hunting down other vampires… or whatever it is they get him to do." Yurma shook her head once again with a frustrated expression.

Edwyn allowed a short moment to pass before responding. "Well, I do suppose that it is quite a lot to take in. Even so, much of that is surely well beyond our concern… for the most part."

"For you, maybe… for the most part. Ain't so easy to say it won't be giving me trouble… with the Fighters Guild and such."

"With the Fighters Guild?" Edwyn frowned a little.

Yurma shrugged. "No matter what the Legion… or Penitus Oculatus might go doing… if there's more vampires making moves across High Rock… vampires in organised clans… then it's a fair guess that the Fighters Guild will be dealing with some of that. Just dealing with bandits and smugglers carrying destruction magic scrolls is enough trouble. Got a big scar on my thigh to show that." She patted her upper thigh of her left leg.

Edwyn took her word for it. Of course, he hadn't seen the scar and he wasn't asking to. "Yes, I suppose that must be dangerous business."

Yurma shook her head again. "Organised vampire clans would be enough trouble on their own. If there's been Dominion spies trying to turn the Direnni against the Empire… that's gotta be a sign of some big trouble ahead."

Frowning again, Edwyn scratched an itch on his scalp. "But… but he said… Darkwater said that all of that was being dealt with."

Yurma wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, so he says."

"You… you don't believe it?"

"Yeah, no… I believe it… but saying it and getting it done…" She waved an open hand. "Maybe they will manage to put it all down… this time. But you gotta think that even if they get all them vampires… and the Direnni get pulled back into line, then it's gonna be something else another time… maybe somewhere else."

Considering her words. Edwyn winced. "I suppose that there's not really so much that we can do about all that. Except perhaps to hope that those who actually can… well, that they remain vigilant."

After a brief pause, Yurma resumed. "With what happened here… with them vampires… people got killed, like Copperton and some castle guards… and someone in the kitchens… but they didn't go killing anyone real important. Nobody like Lords or Counts or Ministers or such. Tried to scare 'em, but didn't get real serious about killing 'em. Just wanted everyone nervous and a bit… a bit off their game for that trade summit. It's like they were just testing things out… or something. Looking to figure the best ways to set things… off balance, or whatever."

Edwyn nodded mildly. "Yes, I suppose so. I think that both Darkwater and Attius mentioned it… Actually, I'm not sure if Attius said it, but Darkwater called them 'disruptors'. I suppose that best describes what they were doing… 'disrupting'… and killing innocent people who got in their way. Even so, after all that… the trade summit still managed to proceed without any major issue. At least as far as I can reasonably tell. And that means that… that those people really died for nothing." He shook his head, with a disturbed expression.

Another lengthy pause passed before Yurma finally responded with a long and heavy sigh. "Uncle Karl… he says that them Aldmeri are gonna end up being a big problem for all of us one day. For anyone who ain't Altmer… and even anyone who ain't one of 'their' Altmer."

Edwyn shrugged. "The Aldmeri Dominion is a… is something of a concern, of course… but so far, they've mostly kept to themselves. Within the Summerset Isles… well, and Valenwood, of course. Within the borders of their… dominion."

"Yeah, maybe… so far. But they don't think like us. What Karl says… he says that they don't just look at today or tomorrow, or even the next year. They look to playing the long game. Cos they all live so much longer than most of us." She waved her hand in agitated gesture.

Edwyn opened his mouth, but then decided to just hold onto whatever it was he was about to say and take a sip of water instead.

Yurma continued. "Them Altmer on the Summerset Isles… it's been like nearly seventy years since they first started closing themselves off under the influence of them Thalmor clans… after the Oblivion Crisis. Then, they went and waited another twenty years to take over proper… and ten years after that, they got a hold of Valenwood and then started calling themselves the Aldmeri Dominion. And since then, they've been chipping away and poking at the Empire. Not enough to actually start any proper wars or the like, but maybe looking at the best ways to keep the Empire from ever going back to what it was."

Edwyn was wearing a pained expression. "Well, as for the Empire going back…"

Yurma cut him off. "Ain't gonna happen. Not without some kinda miracle. Ain't like there's someone like Tiber Septim about to go make that happen."

"Well, perhaps not quite like Tiber Septim."

Yurma shook her head again. "According to Karl, them Thalmor probably had a hand in most of our troubles since the last of the Septims died. Though nobody ever proved it, he reckons that they were probably the ones that killed that Chancellor who kept the throne warm after the Oblivion Crisis."

Edwyn interjected. "Ocato."

"Yeah, that one. He also reckons that they probably killed the previous Mane in Elsweyr around that same time and somehow had something to do with the break up of that Province. He reckons they somehow had something to do with Black Marsh rebelling against the Empire as well. Dunno how, but it all seems real convenient. One way or another, took less than thirty years for the Empire to end up losing four out of nine Provinces."

Edwyn's expression conveyed some measure of doubt. "Well, I can't imagine how those Summerset Altmer could have had anything to do with the Red Mountain disaster in Morrowind."

Yurma rolled her eyes. "No, s'pose not. But Karl heard that they might've had a hand in somehow encouraging the Argonians to go invade Morrowind after that happened."

Edwyn raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. He'd always thought that it had something to do Argonian tree spirits and Hist sap, along with the many years of Argonian slavery at the hands of the Dunmer, but he chose not to say anything to directly contradict her.

Yurma continued. "Uncle Karl says he doesn't know everything about everything, but back when he was with the Fighters Guild over in Chorrol, he useta hear lotsa things from others. He says them Aldmeri been involved in all sorts of things that most folk never hear about. Assassination attempts on the Emperor's family… and lotsa other stuff that he says he can't really talk about."

Without any authority in his voice, Edwyn offered a comment. "Well, I had heard of some occasional assassination attempts… over the years… and I'd also heard rumours about foreign spies and the like."

"According to Karl, there's lots more been going on than we ever hear about. Only thing that really messed things up for them Thalmor back then, was Titus Mede coming along and pulling what's left of the Empire together. As much as he could, anyways."

Edwyn nodded. "Like his father, Emperor Attrebus is doing everything that can be done to maintain the ongoing stability of the Empire. Trying to honour the legacy of the Septim Empire, as best as can be achieved. At least, that's my understanding."

"Ain't saying that the Emperor ain't trying, or doing his best. Point is, we only got the four big Provinces… High Rock, Hammerfell, Skyrim and Cyrodiil… and half of Morrowind… sort of. The only reason that the Aldmeri Dominion don't go starting any wars, is probably cos we're still bigger than them. If the Dominion ever managed to get a hold of Elsweyr or Argonia… or both… or somehow cause another Province to look at breaking with the Empire…" Yurma shook her head, without finishing.

Edwyn responded calmly. "Though it's difficult to imagine them coming back to the Empire, I can't easily see the Argonians ever surrendering their independence to the Aldmeri Dominion. Of course, the Argonians won't deal directly with Morrowind, but they've remained somewhat friendly with the Mede Empire. They might not be allied to the Empire, but they're not our enemy either. They still trade with Cyrodiil… and even some parts of Elsweyr." He paused a moment. "And as for Elsweyr, I'm not sure what to think. If nothing else, Rimmen and some of the northern Kingdoms maintain trade treaties with Cyrodiil. As for the rest of it… well, I'd think that if the current Mane or the Empire can't find any way to encourage the fragmented Kingdoms of Elsweyr to reunite… then I can't see how the Aldmeri Dominion could do much different." He waved his hand. "In my view, none of the mainstay Provinces would be likely to consider breaking with the Empire. Not even Morrowind. If anything, with the troubles of decades past, the Dunmer possibly need the rest of the Empire more than it actually needs them."

Yurma released a sigh. "Yeah, maybe."

Edwyn finished off the glass of water he'd been sipping at. "I have to say, I'm just a little surprised to be hearing all of this from you."

"What? Cos I'm Orc?"

"No, no of course not. As someone with the Fighters Guild, I just… I just hardly expected you to hold to such… such detailed consideration of the broader politics of Tamriel."

Yurma responded with a little snort. "Yeah well, got some of it from my uncle, but I still make a point of reading a lot. You gotta know what's what… and cos I'm Orcish, I know we only get something close to a fair deal from an Empire in Cyrodiil. It ain't great, but I reckon it'd be a lot worse without it. I probably wouldn't have been born, if it wasn't for the Legion getting Orc children outa Orsinium when all that went down."

Edwyn returned a sober nod. He recalled her telling him that both her parents were among those children rescued by the Legion during the fall of Orsinium. Though he'd only been a child himself at the time, he still felt some vague sense of guilt over Wayrest doing nothing as Daggerfall and Sentinel laid siege to Nova Orsinium. "Yes, I understand. As much as one can, without actually being Orcish."

Another prolonged moment of silence passed.

Eventually, Yurma spoke again, changing the subject. "You gonna pass that message to your sister? Like that… vampire wanted?"

Edwyn shrugged. "I suppose that I'll find a way to tell her… something… somehow. I suppose that I'll send a message of some description… with one of the letters sent from our mother." He paused on an adjacent thought. "Though I don't really know, I suppose that whatever happened between my sister and Darkwater… it must have been… adversarial, back then. It seems like he wants to… to atone… for whatever he did… or something like that."

Yurma snorted again. "Outa guilt, I reckon. Though I wouldn'ta thought vampires even felt guilty. Being vampires an' all."

Edwyn managed a pensive gaze. "Well, not that I'd really know, I probably would have thought much the same… at least, before now. Darkwater… he did seem sincere about what he said. About wanting to keep others from suffering his fate."

"Gonna take more than just one ancient vampire with a guilty conscious to deal with all the others across the land."

"Yes, I expect so. Even so, perhaps… perhaps he can make some sort of difference… in keeping the others in check."

Yurma grunted. "Wouldn't expect to be running across any other vampires thinking them same things. Only difference he's likely to make is thinning the herd just a bit. I'll be planning on doing the same, with any bloodsuckers I run into."

"Yes, I suppose so." Edwyn nodded his tenuous agreement.

Becoming suddenly aware of the effects of what he'd been drinking over the past hour, Edwyn excused himself to go visit the bathroom. Upon his return, it seemed that the flow of those previous conversations had mostly run their full course.

Yurma mentioned the need to be ready to head off early enough the next day, when it came time to depart for the port. Even though they already had their documents of passage for the ship, Edwyn expected that Lafont would probably be stopping by during the morning and that they'd be collecting Kingsley along the way. Though Yurma needed little preparation to be ready to go, Edwyn needed to look to ensuring that he'd packed away everything into his travelling trunk, so that it wouldn't be a concern in the morning.

Eventually, a castle staff attendant had come by their door to take orders for evening meals. When the meals had arrived, Yurma still insisted upon checking over the food and drink, before they settled down to eat. Edwyn hardly expected any further cause for concern with that sort of thing, but chose to keep that contrary thought to himself.

In due course, they'd eaten and the aftermath of the meals had been tidied and the trays left outside for collection. No one else had come by the guest suite and nothing else had transpired to disturb them.

Given the weightier discussions of earlier, only some fairly idle and inconsequential conversation passed. Before the hour grew at all late, Edwyn decided that an early night was the best idea. Though he was very much looking forward to arriving home, he understood that the voyage back up the bay would easily prove tiring.

Though she didn't say anything to that effect, Edwyn could tell that Yurma was still intending to keep up her guard during that final evening in Castle Daggerfall. It was evident in the way that she positioned herself on the sofa facing the door as she settled in with a book to read.

After one last visit to the bathroom, Edwyn was soon clambering into the bed with the expectation of a settled night of relatively peaceful slumber.

~O~


	28. Chapter 28

Winter of Intent: An Elder Scrolls Tale

Greg J Miller

~O~

Chapter 28

Loredas the 10th of Evening Star 4E71 Morning

The morning of Edwyn's final day in Daggerfall arrived without incident. Since nothing at all had disturbed the hours of darkness, he'd even managed to sleep right through the night without waking once. After attending his usual morning rituals in the bathroom, he'd found Yurma seated casually in the sitting room of the guest suite. She'd readily confirmed that everything seemed quiet through the night. At least, as far as she could tell.

In due course, the morning meal cart had come and gone. As had the light repasts they'd consumed. Yurma had been quick to tidy up after all that. Shortly after setting the trays outside for collection, she appeared ready to leave at little more than a moment's notice. To avoid being the cause of delay, Edwyn ensured that his travelling trunk was closed for the last time and then dragged it out to the sitting room area.

Before too long, Lafont and Dantien had arrived at their door, just as Edwyn had been anticipating. Since Lafont seemed fairly eager to be on her way, and Edwyn was mostly ready, they were soon leaving the guest suite for the last time and on the move.

Though Edwyn was keeping his document satchel on his person, Yurma carried his large trunk, hoisted up upon her left shoulder.

Dantien remained unencumbered. Since Lafont's simple travel pack was notably lighter than Edwyn's luggage, she carried it herself.

Kingsley hadn't been quite ready when they arrived at his door. They needed to wait a few moments until he checked the room over again and then closed up his trunk for the final time, before dashing off to the bathroom. Once he was finally done, Hans set to carrying Kingsley's large trunk and then they were all on their way.

Walking the corridors from the southern wing of the castle across to the central section, there seemed notably fewer guards about than on previous days. There were still a few guards posted in places here and there, but there were none of those checkpoints. There had been no need to repeatedly show papers or declare themselves until arriving at the doors of the main entrance, where they finally left the inside of Castle Daggerfall behind them.

Edwyn almost felt a sense of mild elation to again be outside under open skies. A week had passed by since he'd last been out there. With the sunlight filtered by some high fluffy white clouds slowly rolling by overhead, the morning seemed fairly moderate for that time of year. A mild morning breeze blew from the south, but it wasn't a cold wind. Accordingly, the day wasn't really warm, but it wasn't so cold either.

Idle comments passed between some of the others, suggesting that the weather really was quite pleasant for Evening Star. Edwyn had offered only polite agreement as he took it in. Lafont really only seemed interested in how it was likely to affect sailing on the bay. Though she noted that things could often turn very quickly, she seemed confident that the weather was likely to be favourable.

Passing a few people along the path, the group made their way down from the castle district, past the Bank of Daggerfall located on the left. Kingsley passed some grumbling comment, but it wasn't clear what he said. Only that it seemed to be an expression of dissatisfaction regarding Daggerfall bankers. No one asked him to clarify.

Soon enough, they were down near the main centre of town, passing by the Mages College and then following the street past the Fighters Guild as it wound around in the general direction of where they were headed.

Edwyn tuned out a conversation between Dantien and Hans as he passed casual glances toward the taverns, stores and mixed residences of that part of town. Unlike back home in Wayrest, he noticed a few beggars about on the streets. It seemed only chance that none had been quick enough to move to intercept their passage. Either that or he supposed that the presence of an armoured Orcish warrior might have dissuaded them.

Heading along the street up the rise to where the Castle Town district gave way to the edge of the Harbour Town district, the appearance of both residences and business structures began to look a little shabbier. That possibly seemed the case even before passing though the old defensive walls near the apex of the hill.

After observing it several times, Kingsley had passed a snide remark regarding the proliferation of washing lines exposed to view from the streets. Some lines were even stretched right across a front porch or similar. He referred to an ordinance in Wayrest, which restricted those lines to the rear of dwellings, away from view.

Nobody else present in the group felt the burning urge to pass comment at all, either in support of his opinion or otherwise.

Soon enough, they were headed downhill toward the main port of Daggerfall's Harbour Town. For whatever reason, a lightly framed Breton man with graying hair was herding a small gaggle of geese down toward one of the warehouses. His trained dog assisted with keeping the geese straying from the path. It wasn't obvious where he'd just come from or why he was trying to get a handful of live geese to a shipping warehouse.

Since they were carrying large trunks up over their shoulders, both Yurma and Hans seemed slightly annoyed that they needed to wait for the geese to pass. Of course, tripping and falling with noisy birds underfoot would have been far more troublesome.

Looking down over the main port below, Edwyn observed only a few small and shabby houses among several warehouses dominating the space down there. He also noticed a rather rustic looking tavern. Presumably, that place would have done rather well servicing the wants of the sailors and dockworkers frequenting the port.

It was easy enough to see just how much larger that main port was compared to the smaller southern harbour. At that moment, there were three larger sized vessels berthed along the deepwater piers. Along with a slightly smaller cargo ship, there were a few small fishing boats lined up along the other docks to the left of that. Given that there was ample space for it on that side of the harbour, two Imperial Naval vessels were anchored just offshore to one side of the main facilities. There were also some lesser-sized masts in view, rising up from behind a warehouse over on the right, indicating more smaller boats in that part of the harbour. Looming above all of that, the Daggerfall Lighthouse rose up from a tiny island situated just off the northern end of the main docks.

Approaching the last turn leading down to the main docks, there was an unattended cobbler's stall next to the path. A dishevelled and one-legged man of likely Imperial appearance, wearing ragged attire, popped up from behind the crates next to the stall.

Leaning upon a crutch, the old man held out a weathered and grimy hand. "By Zenithar, spare a coin for a crippled soldier down on his luck?" Though his voice sounded worn, he spoke with an obvious Cyrodiilic accent.

Lafont glanced to her bodyguard. Dantien assumed a tense posture with his right hand shifting to the hilt of his blade. Only pausing in stride to observe, both Yurma and Hans were otherwise encumbered with the heavy luggage they carried.

Having also stopped to look to the stranger, Kingsley spoke up. "A soldier, you say?"

The old Imperial man nodded. "That's right sir. Use'ta serve with the Legion, back in better days. Was with the Fifteenth."

That prompted Edwyn's thoughts. "The Fifteenth? Assigned to the Wayrest region?"

"That's right sir. When I was younger… an' more able-bodied."

Kingsley spoke up again. "Well then, allow me…" He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a small coinpurse. Without looking inside it, he judged its weight.

Just like Dantien, Lafont watched the crippled man with suspicion, keeping her eyes on his hands. Whether he'd actually once been a Legionnaire or not, he'd was clearly living as a beggar. Whether or not he was also a thief remained unknown.

Kingsley held out the coinpurse. "The Divines have favoured me well… far better than yourself. Take this."

The old man returned a mixed expression of surprise and gratitude as he cautiously accepted the purse from Kingsley. "I… I… blessings of all the Divines be upon you." Feeling the weight in his hand, he shook his head. There had to be at least twenty gold Septims or more inside the pouch. "I promise you sir, I won't be just wasting it on drink."

"It's yours, to do with as you please." Kingsley offered a mild bow of his head.

The old man responded with a bow and a crooked smile. "Thank you kind sir… good journey and good fortune to you."

Lafont prompted movement. "We need to get down to that ship."

Leaving the soldier turned beggar behind, they continued onward, down toward the main docks of the harbour. Though reasonably surprised by Kingsley's generous behaviour, Edwyn said nothing. No one else spoke of it either.

Soon enough, they'd made it to the deepwater docks where the Stormhaven Breeze was berthed. Since that vessel was clearly marked, it wasn't too hard to spot. Lafont and Dantien continued to lead the way.

With some of the busy activity going on along the piers, it remained a little difficult to navigate past the shuffling of cargo moving in both directions. Even once they'd reached the Stormhaven Breeze, they needed to wait for a lull in activity to gain access to the boarding ramp onto the vessel.

Upon boarding the ship, they quickly found the bosun easily enough. She was a Breton woman of generally similar age and appearance to Lafont. In fact, Lafont evidently knew the other woman, greeting her by name. Meeting the requirements of formality, documents of passage were displayed.

Once brief farewells had been exchanged with Hans and Dantien, the ship's bosun organised one of the crew to take Kingsley's trunk and guide them all down below to their respective cabins. As reasonably expected, they were advised of the general rules of travelling on the vessel and informed of the locations of the ship's mess and bathroom facilities before arriving at their cabins.

Given that he knew it would take some time for the vessel to be properly clear of the port and under way, Edwyn settled into his small cabin to wait those things out. Yurma was berthed in the cabin right next door and Kingsley on the other side. For whatever reason, Lafont's cabin was further toward the stern of the vessel.

Edwyn figured on about an another half hour before the ship would be leaving port and perhaps the better part of another hour before things might settle down up above on the main deck.

Instead of lighting the lamps in the cabin or giving any consideration toward reading anything to pass the time, Edwyn just sat down upon the lower bunk. With the various noises of the activity of the vessel's crew drifting down from above, he leaned back to again consider the events of the past week.

Eventually, some volume of shouting and banging, along with the loud creaking noises reverberating through ship's hull, provided clear indication that the vessel was finally pushing off away from the docks of Daggerfall's larger harbour. A heaving rolling motion soon told him that they were finally clear and under way for open waters.

Since it was still fair to assume that it would be some time before the activities of the sailors would subside enough to permit going back up on deck, Edwyn briefly considered going to visit the ship's mess, but decided that he wasn't really feeling that hungry.

Without any intention of actually succumbing to it, the rolling motion of the vessel soon caused Edwyn to nod off.

* * *

Yurma set aside her book as she heard a subdued knock at the door of her small cabin. She wasn't really too surprised to find Edwyn standing outside. He directly informed her that he was planning on going up on deck to get some fresh air while he could. Though he didn't really need to explain, Edwyn suggested that he assumed that she would want to know.

Of course he was right in his assumption, Yurma did still view his safety as her direct responsibility. At least until he was delivered back to his home in Wayrest.

Explaining that he'd taken a brief nap, Edwyn wondered what time it might be. Yurma estimated that it had to be after three. That surprised him quite a bit. He'd thought that he'd fallen asleep for no more than a half-hour at the most. When he'd checked in on him, Kingsley hadn't offered anything to suggest that it could have been that long since they'd left port.

Before heading up to the main deck, Edwyn stopped by at the ship's head on that level to attend to call of nature.

Emerging out into the afternoon daylight, it appeared that the Stormhaven Breeze was well clear of the High Rock coastline by that time and the sailors seemingly had matters well in hand. Accordingly, the activity up on the main deck seemed fairly subdued.

From the look of the relatively clear skies, Edwyn felt somewhat confident of what Lafont had suggested earlier. She had said that she had expected clear sailing throughout the afternoon and that certainly seemed the case.

Looking back toward the coast, he could tell that the ship must have just about cleared the southern peninsular and was gradually arcing around toward the north. Though they were well clear of the coast, they were still near enough to make out the landmarks, if they were familiar. Edwyn couldn't quite tell what he was looking at, but he expected that the vessel would have passed offshore from the Tulune hills, Glenpoint and the passage to the southern harbour some time earlier. That meant that the distant shadow still well beyond the bow of the vessel had to be the tallest points of the Isle of Betony.

Edwyn soon found a spot toward the bow the vessel on the port side where it seemed out of the way of those sailors currently up on deck. It was just far enough back from the fore that the spray from the waters below didn't quite reach. Yurma remained outwardly casual, keeping just a couple paces to one side.

Leaning upon the timber railing, Edwyn looked out toward the coast, then turned right to again glance toward the indistinct island ahead. "Lafont said we'd be sailing a course clear of the southern coastline, then swinging out around the Isle of Betony."

Yurma looked toward the fore of the ship. "Sounds right. Said we'd be headed out toward the middle of the bay. Take advantage of the incoming tide after sunset."

Edwyn nodded his agreement. He looked back toward the stern. "I wonder what Lafont is up to?"

Yurma responded with a mildly sardonic tone. "Didn't figure on seeing Lafont following you about, but Kingsley seems like your new best friend."

Edwyn suppressed a mild smirk, turning his head to look back out toward the water. "Well, Kingsley has opted to remain in his cabin, chewing upon some ginger root. Apparently, he's somewhat prone to seasickness."

Yurma's expression reflected something of a mix of amusement and mild disdain.

Edwyn adjusted the topic only very slightly. "Well, I do suppose that I might expect that Kingsley might be behaving somewhat differently from his former self."

"Yeah well, wouldn'ta taken him for someone to go handing over a bag of drakes to some street beggar."

"No, I don't suppose that I would have expected that of him either. Not that I really knew him much at all. Not until this past week. As for that beggar, I suspect it may have had something more to do with the man's former service with the Legion."

"If he wasn't lying about that."

"Yes, if he was being truthful. I suppose that it probably didn't hurt that he led with referencing Zenithar. With Kingsley being a banker and such."

Yurma responded with a mildly bemused snort.

Of course, invoking the name of the patron Divine of labour, commerce and wealth was always likely to strike the right tone for a beggar trying his luck with someone of apparent affluence.

After a moment, Edwyn continued. "I suppose that those experiences back in Daggerfall… in the castle… Well, I suppose that it may have had a somewhat profound effect upon Kingsley. Perhaps, caused him to rethink certain things. Beforehand, he'd hardly spoken to me at all, unless in the course of the necessity of official business." Edwyn sighed. "Whether any of that represents a lasting change…"

Yurma continued to look out across the waters. "What about you then?"

Edwyn shrugged slightly. "Me? Well, I think I'd like nothing more than for things to return to normal, as quickly as possible. I don't think that I hold any desire for… for anything too different. I do think that I've had more than enough excitement to last me for some time."

A flickering glance from Edwyn prompted a response from Yurma. "Don't see a whole lotta reason for me to go changing what I'm doing, just yet. Except maybe talking to my father and uncle the next time I get back up to Ripwold. To talk about that farm trading idea."

Edwyn returned a silent nod. After a long pause, he spoke again. "If or when there's any movement on that front, you should tell them to try to get a message to me… and I'll try to see what I can do to help things along."

Without speaking, Yurma responded with a firm nod.

Edwyn looked about to see if anyone was nearby. "I suppose that once certain things… settle down… Well, I might look into whether there should be some sort of effort toward examining the maintenance of trade supplies to and from Balfiera. Once that is deemed appropriate, of course."

Yurma shook her head with a little sigh. "Figured you'd be leaving that alone."

Edwyn cast another nervous glance about the deck. "Yes, for the immediate moment, of course. Perhaps some time a little further in the new year, I might make gentle inquiry… whether it's appropriate to pursue further trade contracts with the Direnni."

Though she didn't say anything, Yurma's expression indicated that she didn't think it was a good idea.

Edwyn resumed. "There's not much that someone like myself can really do... not in the greater scheme of things. Even so, if I can play some small part in keeping the Direnni on side… well, Balfiera is far too close to Wayrest to consider the alternatives."

Yurma released a snorting sigh. "Wayrest is too important to the Empire for them to go letting anything happen. Not if it can be helped."

"I do hope so. Most of my family is back there." Edwyn paused to look off toward the distant north. He could make out the shape of the Isle of Betony across the waters, but not with any detail. "My nephew is with Wayrest's City Watch."

"Your nephew?" Yurma raised her eyebrows. She couldn't recall whether he'd mentioned that before or not.

Edwyn nodded. "Yes, Bradon… my sister's boy. Not Monika, but Erika. She still runs Northwind Traders. Bradon… he's in charge of those on the daylight watch covering Cumberland Square… and the market districts. I often see him about the main boulevard off the square, if I'm outside around midday, or the like."

Yurma's expression indicated that she wasn't quite sure what he was trying to say.

Edwyn continued. "It's not like he's with the Legion or any proper defensive force of the Empire. It's just the City Watch. Even so, that places him just a little nearer to trouble… if trouble came for us."

"You said you got two sons?"

Edwyn nodded. "Yes, Nikulas and Guilbert. They're both fully grown. Perhaps a little older than yourself. They both have families of their own… with little ones."

"But they ain't City Watch or soldiers or the like?"

"No, no. Nikulas is an accounts clerk. He does work for a number of businesses, as well as some of the guilds. Guilbert leans more toward manual work. He'd worked across a number of trades, before finding himself tending the gardens of the grounds of our city's royal palace. He's more likely to wield a hoe and pitchfork, than a weapon. Even so, if the serious trouble of warfare ever came to our city… well, none of us might be excluded from such danger."

Yurma wrinkled her nose. "Don't think that's real likely. Least not for a fair while, anyways. Ain't saying I don't expect that one day, just not yet. An' I figure it'll more likely be in places a fair way off from Wayrest."

Edwyn returned a grim nod. "Yes, I do hope so."

A silence fell between them. Edwyn again looked off toward the distant north, knowing that home lay in that direction, but also perfectly aware that it remained a full day of sailing away from their current location.

After the passage of another lengthy silence, Yurma looked back toward the stern and the entryway leading to below deck. "You ready to head on back down? Maybe to the ship's mess, before it gets real busy?"

Edwyn shrugged mildly. "Shortly… I think." He turned back to briefly look to Yurma, then looking past her toward the early winter sun falling low in the western sky. "Soon. Just a little longer."

Yurma returned a silent nod of acceptance.

Looking back off toward the north again, Edwyn's mind returned to thoughts of family and home. Though he might have not have anticipated just how much he'd find himself missing home during that relatively short time away, the circumstances of the past week or so really did serve to remind him just how much he truly appreciated what he had back there. By the following evening, he would be back in his home in Wayrest with Francine. That suited him just fine.

~O~

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* * *

Afterword: If you made it this far, feel free to pass comment (whether privately or publicly). As always, special thanks to those who provided assistance and advice with these stories, including those other writers providing comment via review or PM. Also, friends who acted as sounding-boards during development and revisions. Special mention for The Imperial Library and UESPWiki websites for providing such a wealth of useful information. And of course, the folks at Bethesda for creating the detailed universe of The Elders Scrolls.

Additionally, I do recommend checking out some other stories by other authors both in my 'Favorites list' and on the following 'community listing' on this site: "The Untold Tales of Tamriel".

... /community/The-Untold-Tales-of-Tamriel/113832/99/0/1/0/0/0/0/


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